Ohio's Republican attorney general suspends his governor bid against a Trump-backed candidate
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost suspended his campaign for governor on Friday, just a week after he lost the state Republican Party's endorsement to Trump-backed biotech billionaire Vivek Ramaswamy.
In an email to supporters, Yost pledged to continue to fight for the state as attorney general until the end of his term in January 2027.
Yost, 68, did not immediately endorse his chief rival, after last week suggesting the state GOP had engaged in 'a premature coronation of an untested candidate.' However, he hinted at realizing he was at an increasing disadvantage.
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW
While praising the people of Ohio, he said it had become 'apparent that a steep climb to the nomination for governor has become a vertical cliff. I do not wish to divide my political party or my state with a quixotic battle over the small differences between my vision and that of my opponent. I am simply not that important.'
Ramaswamy struck a supportive tone about the news.
'Congratulations to Dave on running a thoughtful campaign,' he said in a statement. 'He has served Ohio with great dedication, and I am confident he will continue to play an important role in shaping the future of our state and our nation.'
It was not immediately clear where Yost's political career would go next, though. He will be too old to run for the Ohio Supreme Court seat that's up next year, where age limits are in place. He told supporters, however, that he will keep serving Ohioans 'perhaps for quite a while yet.'
For Ramaswamy, the former co-chair of the president's Department of Government Efficiency initiative who sought the GOP nomination for president in 2024, it represents another positive development in his fast-paced campaign to lock in the lead for the state's top political office.
In a state that strongly supported Trump three times, Ramaswamy's close relationship with the president has translated into packed crowds at county Lincoln Day dinners and a successful push for the state GOP's state central committee to endorse him over Yost and Appalachian entrepreneur Heather Hill nearly a year before the primary.
Hill said Ohio Republicans should be outraged at the state party's 'blatant disregard for our rights to select our next governor.'
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW
'My heart goes out to the Republican candidates who feel forced to drop out of the race due to the RNC/GOP's unfair bias towards one candidate,' she said in a statement. 'I want to reassure Ohioans that I will not give up. I will fight tirelessly every day to ensure my name is heard and that I prioritize the best interests of all Ohioans.'
Despite the early endorsement, the Republican gubernatorial field still may not be set. Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel, a popular former Ohio State football coach, said last week that he hasn't ruled running. The filing deadline for the race is Feb. 4.
Republican Gov. Mike DeWine, who is term-limited, pointed out that the nearly a year before the primary is a 'lifetime' in politics. He picked Tressel after appointing the presumptive frontrunner to succeed him as governor, former Lt. Gov. Jon Husted, to serve the remainder of Vice President JD Vance's Senate term.
Dr. Amy Acton, the former state health director who helped lead Ohio through the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, is the only announced Democrat in the race.
She chose to attack Ramaswamy's positions on a host of issues in her statement Friday, making no reference to Yost.
'As Governor I'll fight for Ohioans who are struggling due to decades of billionaire special interests like Vivek running our state,' she said.
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW
Yost also failed to mention Acton in his email. He did say, however, that former Democratic U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown is in the midst of a 'comeback attempt' that represents 'a real and present danger to Ohio's prosperity.'
'Sherrod Brown and the risky progressive ideas of his party will unwind all of the good that the last 15 years of Republican leadership has brought,' he wrote. 'This is a time to protect Ohio, not a time for a family squabble.' Brown had no immediate comment.
Ohio Democratic Party spokesperson Katie Seewer said Yost referencing Brown just shows that Republicans believe Democrats will be a threat next year.
She said of Yost's withdrawal: 'At least he's doing what's best for Ohio.'
Read more on the U.S. Election at thestar.com
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Winnipeg Free Press
12 minutes ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Sudan's paramilitaries seize a key area along with the border with Libya and Egypt
CAIRO (AP) — Sudanese paramilitaries at war with the country's military for over two years claimed to have seized a strategic area along the border with neighboring Libya and Egypt. The Rapid Support Forces said in a statement Wednesday that they captured the triangular zone, fortifying their presence along Sudan' s already volatile border with chaos-stricken Libya. The RSF's announcement came hours after the military said it had evacuated the area as part of 'its defensive arrangements to repel aggression' by the paramilitaries. On Tuesday the military accused the forces of powerful Libyan commander Khalifa Hifter of supporting the RSF's attack on the area, in a 'blatant aggression against Sudan, its land, and its people.' Hifter's forces, which control eastern and southern Libya, rejected the claim, saying in a statement that the Sudanese accusations were 'a blatant attempt to export the Sudanese internal crisis and create a virtual external enemy.' The attack on the border area was the latest twist in Sudan's civil war which erupted in April 2023 when tensions between the Sudanese army and RSF exploded with street battles in the capital, Khartoum that quickly spread across the country. The war has killed at least 24,000 people, though the number is likely far higher. It has driven about 13 million people from their homes, including 4 million who crossed into neighboring countries. It created the world's worst humanitarian crisis, and parts of the country have been pushed into famine. The fighting has been marked by atrocities including mass rape and ethnically motivated killings that amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity, especially in Darfur, according to the U.N. and international rights groups.
Toronto Star
23 minutes ago
- Toronto Star
3 killed and scores injured as Russia targets Ukraine with new attacks
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian forces have pummeled Ukraine with drones and other weapons, killing three people and injuring scores of others despite international pressure to accept a ceasefire, officials said Thursday. According to the Ukrainian air force, Russia launched a barrage of 63 drones and decoys at Ukraine overnight. It said that air defenses destroyed 28 drones while another 21 were jammed. Ukraine's police said two people were killed and six were injured over the past 24 hours in the eastern Donetsk region, the focus of the Russian offensive. One person was killed and 14 others were also injured in the southern Kherson region, which is partly occupied by Russian forces, police said. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW The head of the Kharkiv region, Oleh Syniehubov, said that 15 people, including four children, were injured by Russian drone attacks overnight. Kharkiv city mayor Ihor Terekhov said Russian drones targeted residential districts, educational facilities, kindergartens and other civilian infrastructure. 'Kharkiv is holding on. People are alive. And that is the most important thing,' Terekhov said. The Russian military has launched waves of drones and missiles in recent days, with a record bombardment of almost 500 drones on Monday and a wave of 315 drones and seven missiles overnight on Tuesday. The recent escalation in aerial attacks has come alongside a renewed Russian battlefield push along eastern and northeastern parts of the more than 1,000-kilometer (over 600-mile) front line. While Russian missile and drone barrage have struck regions all across Ukraine, regions along the front line have faced daily Russian attacks with short-range exploding drones and glide bombs. Ukraine hit back with drone raids. Russia's Defense Ministry said that air defenses downed 52 Ukrainian drones early Thursday, including 41 over the Belgorod region that borders Ukraine. Regional Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov said three people were injured by Ukrainian attacks Thursday. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW The attacks have continued despite discussions of a potential ceasefire in the war. During their June 2 talks in Istanbul, Russian and Ukrainian negotiators traded memorandums containing sharply divergent conditions that both sides see as nonstarters, making any quick deal unlikely. Speaking at a meeting of leaders of southeast European countries in Odesa, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged the European Union to toughen its latest package of sanctions against Russia. He argued that lowering the cap on the price of Russian oil from $60 to $45 as the bloc has proposed isn't enough. 'Real peace comes with a $30 cap -– that's the level that will truly change thinking in Moscow,' Zelenskyy said. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius arrived in Kyiv Thursday on an unannounced visit, noting that the stepped-up Russian attacks on Ukraine send a message from Moscow that it has 'no interest in a peaceful solution at present,' according to German news agency dpa. Pistorius said his visit underlines that the new German government continues to stand by Ukraine. 'Of course this will also be about how the support of Germany and other Europeans will look in future – what we can do, for example, in the area of industrial cooperation, but also other support,' he said.
Toronto Star
23 minutes ago
- Toronto Star
Sudan's paramilitaries seize a key area along with the border with Libya and Egypt
CAIRO (AP) — Sudanese paramilitaries at war with the country's military for over two years claimed to have seized a strategic area along the border with neighboring Libya and Egypt. The Rapid Support Forces said in a statement Wednesday that they captured the triangular zone, fortifying their presence along Sudan' s already volatile border with chaos-stricken Libya. The RSF's announcement came hours after the military said it had evacuated the area as part of 'its defensive arrangements to repel aggression' by the paramilitaries. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW On Tuesday the military accused the forces of powerful Libyan commander Khalifa Hifter of supporting the RSF's attack on the area, in a 'blatant aggression against Sudan, its land, and its people.' Hifter's forces, which control eastern and southern Libya, rejected the claim, saying in a statement that the Sudanese accusations were 'a blatant attempt to export the Sudanese internal crisis and create a virtual external enemy.' The attack on the border area was the latest twist in Sudan's civil war which erupted in April 2023 when tensions between the Sudanese army and RSF exploded with street battles in the capital, Khartoum that quickly spread across the country. The war has killed at least 24,000 people, though the number is likely far higher. It has driven about 13 million people from their homes, including 4 million who crossed into neighboring countries. It created the world's worst humanitarian crisis, and parts of the country have been pushed into famine. The fighting has been marked by atrocities including mass rape and ethnically motivated killings that amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity, especially in Darfur, according to the U.N. and international rights groups.
