COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- Former Ohio State football coach and current Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel said Friday he won't run for Ohio governor in 2026, easing the path toward a Republican nomination for biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.
Ramaswamy was endorsed by President Donald Trump and the Ohio Republican Party. Amy Acton, who led Ohio's health department early in the COVID-19 pandemic, is running as a Democrat.
Tressel, 72, is a political rookie. Term-limited GOP Gov. Mike DeWine chose the championship-winning coach and university administrator in February to succeed Jon Husted, who was appointed to JD Vance's U.S. Senate seat after Vance was elected vice president with Trump.