TOLEDO, Ohio — Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost confirmed to WTOL 11 via Zoom Wednesday that he plans to run for governor in the state's next gubernatorial election.
Ohio's current governor, Mike DeWine, was elected in 2018 and reelected in 2022. The position is term-limited, meaning DeWine will not be eligible to run for the 2026 election.
Like Yost, DeWine also served as Ohio's Attorney General. Yost succeeded DeWine as Attorney General when elected in 2018. Before that, Yost served as State Auditor.
WTOL 11 also attended a press conference held by Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose Wednesday. We asked LaRose if he was running for governor. Though LaRose did not say if he was running during the conference, he later offered the following statement to WTOL 11:
"Not here to talk about that today. I've enjoyed answering the call to service, I love the work I do right now. I will talk about it, pray about it with my family to see if there are chances to continue giving good public service to our state or to our nation, but I'm not here to talk about it right now."
The recording of a segment of the interview, during which Yost confirms his intention to run to WTOL 11's Melissa Andrews, is included below:
According to his official biography, Yost was born in Ohio and pursued higher education at the Ohio State University where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism. He then attended Capital University Law School for his Juris Doctor.
Yost's career began in journalism when he worked for the Columbus Citizen-Journal. He later transitioned into public service, holding senior positions in the administrations of Columbus Mayor Buck Rinehart and Gov. George Voinovich.
After his 1999 appointment to the Delaware County auditor post, in 2003, Yost was elected Delaware County prosecutor, where he gained a reputation for his tough stance on crime and corruption, according to his official biography. This role propelled him to statewide office, and in 2010, he was elected as Ohio's Auditor of State. Yost served in this capacity until 2019 when he focused on rooting out fraud and ensuring accountability in government spending.
In January 2019, Yost assumed office as Ohio's Attorney General after defeating his Democratic opponent, Steve Dettelbach, in the 2018 election. In the 2022 election, Yost was re-elected as Attorney General, receiving more votes than any other attorney general in Ohio's history, according to his official biography.