COLUMBUS — Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel has announced he will not run for Ohio governor in 2026, leaving Cincinnati Republican Vivek Ramaswamy as the presumptive GOP nominee and likely favorite to win.

In a Facebook post Friday, Tressel — the former Youngstown State University president and Ohio State University and YSU football coach — said that “after considerable thought and prayer,” he and his wife Ellen together have decided not to seek the state’s highest elected office. Tressel called his service alongside Gov. Mike DeWine “the honor of a lifetime.”

Tressel took office as lieutenant governor in February after DeWine named then-Lt. Gov. Jon Husted to serve the remainder of Vice President J.D. Vance’s term in the U.S. Senate after he became vice president under President Donald J. Trump.

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