Democrat Tim Ryan, a former 20-year Mahoning Valley congressman, will not run for governor — essentially setting up next year’s race between two candidates who’ve never held public office.

In a prepared statement Friday, Ryan said: “After careful consideration, much prayer and reflection, and after long conversations with my family, my closest friends and advisors, I’ve made the decision not to run for governor in 2026.”

The decision came a couple of weeks after Dennis Willard, Ryan’s spokesman, said that Ryan “has asked his team to prepare to launch a campaign.”

Willard recently added that the preparations included “everything we would need to stand up a campaign from identifying key personnel to manage, raise money, communications and everything in between. Tim told us the people of O

See Full Page