Ryan ‘seriously considering' run for Ohio governor, communications adviser says
Dennis Willard said that different people have approached Ryan about running for governor, with some telling him 'that they're dissatisfied with the direction the country's going.'
Willard said Ryan wants to spend time talking to people across Ohio but noted there was no specific timeline around when he might decide. Still, he suggested Ryan wasn't going to 'take too long to make a decision,' noting that others may be interested in running for Ohio governor if the former congressman opts against a bid.
The news of Ryan's gubernatorial considerations was first reported by The Plain Dealer/Cleveland.com.
Ryan, who served in the House between 2003 and 2023, has made runs for president and Senate. He was seen a promising Senate candidate for Democrats in Ohio in 2022, but he lost to Vice President Vance that November by 6 points.
Ryan's campaign lamented at the time that national Democrats hadn't invested enough in his race, though his loss also underscored Ohio's increasing rightward shift, no longer being seen as a battleground state.
Willard suggested Ryan's race for governor would be different this go-around given the personal nature gubernatorial races take on compared to federal Senate races.
'One of the reasons why I think he's so interested in being governor is he feels, you know, number one, he can come home every night to his family and his young son and still be a very' 'present part of their lives,' Willard said. 'But also, I think that he would bring that personal touch to the governor's race.'
'He is an Ohioan, he's one of them,' he added, describing him as a 'magnet for people.'
Former Ohio Department of Health Director Amy Acton has already announced a bid for governor on the Democratic side; The Blade reported last month that Ohio House Minority Leader Allison Russo (D) could also run statewide, potentially as lieutenant governor if former Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) runs for governor.
Brown, meanwhile, could potentially run for Senate again in 2026 against Sen. Jon Husted (R-Ohio), who's serving out the remainder of Vance's Senate term, or governor.
On the Republican side, former GOP presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy, Attorney General Dave Yost and businesswoman Heather Hill are running for the governor's seat.
Asked what Ryan would do if the former senator decided to run for governor, Willard said that 'Tim would take that into consideration and make a decision on what he thought was best for Ohio at that point.'
Still, Democrats have their work cut out for them. The last time a Democrat was elected governor was in 2006 with former Gov. Ted Strickland, the same year Brown ousted then-Sen. Mike DeWine (R-Ohio).
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Boston Globe
20 minutes ago
- Boston Globe
California pushes left, Texas to the right, with US House control and Trump agenda in play
Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up However, Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott is expected to call another special session to push through new maps. Democratic lawmakers vowed to take the fight to the courts. Advertisement In California, Gov. Gavin Newsom said his state will hold a Nov. 4 special election to seek approval of redrawn districts intended to give Democrats five more U.S. House seats, in a counterpunch to undercut any gains in Texas. 'We can't stand back and watch this democracy disappear district by district all across the country,' Newsom said at what amounted to a campaign kickoff rally for the as-yet unreleased maps that Democrats have been shaping behind closed doors. 'We are not bystanders in this world. We can shape the future.' Advertisement The two states have emerged as the center of a partisan turf war in the House that could spiral into other states — as well as the courts — in what amounts to a proxy war ahead of the 2026 elections. Fight has gone national Newsom's announcement Thursday marked the first time any state beyond Texas has officially waded into the mid-decade redistricting fight. The Texas plan was stalled when minority Democrats fled to Illinois, New York and Massachusetts on Aug. 3 to stop the Legislature from passing any bills. Elsewhere, leaders from red Florida to blue New York are threatening to write new maps. In Missouri, a document obtained by The Associated Press shows the state Senate received a $46,000 invoice to activate six redistricting software licenses and provide training for up to 10 staff members. Newsom encouraged other Democratic-led states to get involved. 'We need to stand up — not just California. Other blue states need to stand up,' Newsom said. House control could come down to a few seats in 2026 Republicans hold a 219-212 majority in the House, with four vacancies. New maps are typically drawn once a decade after the census is conducted. Many states, including Texas, give legislators the power to draw maps. California is among states that rely on an independent commission that is supposed to be nonpartisan. The California map would take effect only if a Republican state moves forward, and it would remain through the 2030 elections. After that, Democrats say they would return mapmaking power to the independent commission approved by voters more than a decade ago. Newsom goes to LA to launch campaign for new districts In Los Angeles, Newsom and other speakers veered from discussing the technical grist of reshaping districts — known as redistricting — and instead depicted the looming battle as a conflict with all things Trump, tying it explicitly to the fate of American democracy. Advertisement An overarching theme was the willingness to stand up to Trump, a cheer-inducing line for Democrats as the party looks to regroup from its 2024 losses. 'Donald Trump, you have poked the bear, and we will punch back,' said Newsom, a possible 2028 presidential contender. Opposition to California plan begins to take shape Some people already have said they would sue to block the effort, and influential voices including former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger may campaign against it. 'Gavin Newsom's latest stunt has nothing to do with Californians and everything to do with consolidating radical Democrat power, silencing California voters, and propping up his pathetic 2028 presidential pipe dream,' National Republican Congressional Committee spokesperson Christian Martinez said in a statement. 'Newsom's made it clear: he'll shred California's Constitution and trample over democracy — running a cynical, self-serving playbook where Californians are an afterthought and power is the only priority.' California Democrats hold 43 of the state's 52 House seats, and the state has some of the most competitive House seats. In California, lawmakers must officially declare the special election, which they plan to do next week after voting on the new maps. Democrats hold supermajorities in both chambers — enough to act without any Republican votes — and Newsom said he is not worried about winning the required support from two-thirds of lawmakers to advance the maps. Nguyễn reported from Sacramento, and Lathan from Austin, Texas. Associated Press writer David Lieb in Jefferson City, Missouri, contributed.
San Francisco Chronicle
20 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
California pushes left, Texas to the right, with US House control and Trump agenda in play
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A political standoff in Texas over proposed House maps that could hand Republicans five new seats is poised to enter a new phase Friday, while heavily Democratic California plans to release its own new maps intended to erase all but a sprinkle of the state's GOP House districts in the fight over control of Congress. The hectic maneuvering in the nation's two most populous states underscored the stakes for both parties in the narrowly divided House that could determine the fate of President Donald Trump's agenda in the second half of his term. On Thursday, Texas Democrats moved closer to ending a nearly two-week walkout that has blocked the GOP's redrawing of U.S. House maps before the 2026 election. The Democrats announced they will return to the state provided that Texas Republicans end a special session and California releases its own redrawn map proposal, both of which were expected to happen Friday. However, Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott is expected to call another special session to push through new maps. Democratic lawmakers vowed to take the fight to the courts. In California, Gov. Gavin Newsom said his state will hold a Nov. 4 special election to seek approval of redrawn districts intended to give Democrats five more U.S. House seats, in a counterpunch to undercut any gains in Texas. 'We can't stand back and watch this democracy disappear district by district all across the country,' Newsom said at what amounted to a campaign kickoff rally for the as-yet unreleased maps that Democrats have been shaping behind closed doors. 'We are not bystanders in this world. We can shape the future.' The two states have emerged as the center of a partisan turf war in the House that could spiral into other states — as well as the courts — in what amounts to a proxy war ahead of the 2026 elections. Fight has gone national Newsom's announcement Thursday marked the first time any state beyond Texas has officially waded into the mid-decade redistricting fight. The Texas plan was stalled when minority Democrats fled to Illinois, New York and Massachusetts on Aug. 3 to stop the Legislature from passing any bills. Elsewhere, leaders from red Florida to blue New York are threatening to write new maps. In Missouri, a document obtained by The Associated Press shows the state Senate received a $46,000 invoice to activate six redistricting software licenses and provide training for up to 10 staff members. Newsom encouraged other Democratic-led states to get involved. 'We need to stand up — not just California. Other blue states need to stand up,' Newsom said. House control could come down to a few seats in 2026 Republicans hold a 219-212 majority in the House, with four vacancies. New maps are typically drawn once a decade after the census is conducted. Many states, including Texas, give legislators the power to draw maps. California is among states that rely on an independent commission that is supposed to be nonpartisan. The California map would take effect only if a Republican state moves forward, and it would remain through the 2030 elections. After that, Democrats say they would return mapmaking power to the independent commission approved by voters more than a decade ago. Newsom goes to LA to launch campaign for new districts In Los Angeles, Newsom and other speakers veered from discussing the technical grist of reshaping districts — known as redistricting — and instead depicted the looming battle as a conflict with all things Trump, tying it explicitly to the fate of American democracy. An overarching theme was the willingness to stand up to Trump, a cheer-inducing line for Democrats as the party looks to regroup from its 2024 losses. 'Donald Trump, you have poked the bear, and we will punch back,' said Newsom, a possible 2028 presidential contender. Opposition to California plan begins to take shape Some people already have said they would sue to block the effort, and influential voices including former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger may campaign against it. 'Gavin Newsom's latest stunt has nothing to do with Californians and everything to do with consolidating radical Democrat power, silencing California voters, and propping up his pathetic 2028 presidential pipe dream,' National Republican Congressional Committee spokesperson Christian Martinez said in a statement. 'Newsom's made it clear: he'll shred California's Constitution and trample over democracy — running a cynical, self-serving playbook where Californians are an afterthought and power is the only priority.' California Democrats hold 43 of the state's 52 House seats, and the state has some of the most competitive House seats. In California, lawmakers must officially declare the special election, which they plan to do next week after voting on the new maps. Democrats hold supermajorities in both chambers — enough to act without any Republican votes — and Newsom said he is not worried about winning the required support from two-thirds of lawmakers to advance the maps. ___
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
As Texas and California ramp up their redistricting fight, a new study finds gerrymandering erodes confidence in democracy
Researchers identified a connection between highly partisan congressional maps and lower confidence in the integrity of elections. The ongoing partisan battle over gerrymandering could further undermine the confidence of Americans in their democracy, the results of a new study suggest. 'We know that confidence in U.S. elections being conducted fairly has been dwindling — gerrymandering just adds gas to that fire,' Shaun Bowler, a professor of political science at the University of California, Riverside, who coauthored the study, told Yahoo. Right now, Texas Republicans are trying to redraw their state's congressional district map to make it more favorable to their party, potentially securing up to five additional seats for the GOP in the House of Representatives in next year's midterms. That effort is currently on hold, though, because Democratic state lawmakers have fled Texas in order to block the legislature from having enough members present to formally meet. California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Thursday that he is moving forward with a plan to counter Texas's redistricting effort by asking voters to approve a measure that would allow Democrats to redraw the state's maps. Democrats in New York and Illinois have said they may follow California's lead. Meanwhile, the GOP has been looking at putting more favorable maps in place in other red states like Ohio and Missouri. While we can't know how the redistricting tit-for-tat will ultimately shake out, there is reason to believe that this high-profile fight over congressional maps could weaken voters' already-weakening faith in the U.S. political system, Bowler said. 'A lot of the time gerrymandering really doesn't make the news ... which means a lot of the time it's not very visible to voters,' he said via email. 'But this time ... the news is going national. Even international. So a lot more voters will hear about it. And a lot don't like it.' Americans as a whole have less confidence in the integrity of U.S. elections than they did two decades ago. The biggest cause of that decline is a sharp drop among Republicans tied to President Trump's false claims that the 2020 election was stolen. But polls show that faith in democracy was dipping well before Trump became the GOP's standard-bearer, indicating that other factors are playing a role as well. Bowler and his coauthor, Todd Donovan of Western Washington University, analyzed surveys from more than 30,000 voters to understand how gerrymandering impacts views about the integrity of our elections. They found that, while belief in Trump's claims about the election was the most important driver of low trust in democracy, gerrymandering does appear to have a noticeable effect on whether voters think the elections in their states are fair. Unsurprisingly, the biggest drop in confidence was among voters who were on the wrong side of partisan gerrymanders. Democrats in states with strong pro-Republican gerrymanders like Wisconsin and Ohio were more skeptical of the integrity of the elections in their states than Democrats in other states. The same was true for Republicans living in states with gerrymanders designed to benefit Democrats, like Illinois. But Bowler emphasized that this isn't purely about sour grapes. Voters who belong to the party that benefits from a gerrymander can also be affected by the perception that the electoral victories they had hoped for were earned illegitimately, he argued. 'To some extent it doesn't matter if it is 'your' side doing it or not,' he said. 'It's not really fair play.' Bowler expanded on that point in a press release about the study. 'If they didn't win fair and square, why should I believe what they say?' he said. 'Why should I pay my taxes? You get an erosion of civic behavior.' A separate poll released on Thursday added more evidence to support Bowler's argument. It found that Californians oppose Gov. Gavin Newsom's proposal to redistrict their state in response to Texas's potential gerrymander by a two-to-one margin. Other national polls have found that few Americans support the Texas GOP's redistricting plan. They have also found that strong majorities believe partisan gerrymandering is a major problem and that the practice should be illegal. Bowler told Yahoo that even lawmakers who might be indifferent to changes in voters' faith in democracy should be wary of going too far out of their own self-interest. 'Let's say you are a Republican voter in Texas and have voted GOP for years … because of gerrymandering, there is maybe less incentive to turn out and vote,' he said. The belief that results are all but decided well before Election Day could also undermine a party's fundraising, which could make a difference in races where the outcome is more in question, he added. In their study, Bowler and Donovan also looked at how corruption — or even perceptions of corruption — among a state's elected officials affected voters' faith in democracy. They found a similar decline in trust among respondents in states where lawmakers had been convicted of crimes like bribery and campaign finance violations or had faced highly publicized accusations of corruption.
