Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost suspends campaign for governor

OHIO — Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced Friday that he is suspending his campaign for governor, citing the challenges of securing the Republican nomination and a desire to avoid dividing his party.

In a statement released to supporters, Yost reflected on his motivation for entering the race and his decision to step away.

“It’s never been about me,” Yost wrote. “Public service is in my blood… It’s also why I am suspending my campaign today.”

Yost said his travels across Ohio had reconnected him with the state’s people, history, and values.

While expressing pride in his campaign’s efforts, he acknowledged that the path to the nomination had become increasingly difficult.

“A steep climb to the nomination for governor has become a vertical cliff,” he said. “I do not wish to divide my political party or my state with a quixotic battle over small differences.”

Yost also warned of what he sees as the threat posed by Democratic U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown and his political platform, calling Brown’s potential return “a real and present danger to Ohio’s prosperity.”

Despite ending his campaign, Yost said he remains committed to serving Ohio in his current role. His term as attorney general runs through January 2027.

“I will continue to fight for Ohio and Ohioans during that time—and I suspect that this is not my final chapter,” Yost wrote.

He closed his message with a note of gratitude and a personal appeal to faith, saying, “Do not place your faith in any human leader, nor in the government, but in God.”

Yost has served as attorney general since 2019.