Ohio Democrats select former state rep Kathleen Clyde as new state party chair
Ohio Democratic Party Chair Kathleen Clyde. (Photo provided.)
Former state Rep. Kathleen Clyde has been elected as the next Ohio Democratic Party chair. Clyde was elected Tuesday night by members of the party's State Executive Committee.
'I'm grateful to Ohio Democrats for putting their trust in me during this critical election cycle, and I'm looking forward to getting to work,' Clyde said in a statement. 'With every statewide office and a U.S. Senate race on the ballot, Ohio has key opportunities to elect Democrats who actually work for Ohioans and get our state back on the right track.'
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Current chair Liz Walters announced last month she will step down from the role no later than June 30. Walters, who was appointed chair in 2021, will be the new CEO of TargetSmart, a Washington, D.C.-based Democratic political data analysis firm. She was the first woman to be Ohio Democratic Party chair.
Former U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown endorsed Clyde for party chair. Brown lost to Republican Bernie Moreno in the 2024 election. Brown has yet to announce if he is running for office in 2026.
Clyde served in the Ohio House of Representatives from 2011 to 2018. She ran for Ohio Secretary of State in 2018, but lost to Republican Frank LaRose. In December 2018, she was appointed to the Portage County Commission. She ran for a full term as commissioner in 2020 but was defeated by Republican Tony Badalamenti.
Ohio state Sen. Bill DeMora, D-Columbus, and Greene County Democratic Party Chair Kim McCarthy both dropped out of the race to be state party chair last week.
Ohio Supreme Court Justice Jennifer Brunner is the only Democrat currently holding any statewide office in Ohio. Republican incumbent Ohio Supreme Court Justice Patrick Fischler is challenging Brunner for her seat in 2026, unable to pursue another term in his own seat due to age restrictions. Republicans currently control the state high court 6-1.
All four statewide executive offices of governor, attorney general, auditor, and secretary of state are up for open election in 2026, with all of the current Republican incumbents term-limited out of running for the same positions again.
Former Ohio Health Department Director Dr. Amy Acton is currently the only Democratic candidate running for Ohio governor. Republican candidates include businessman Vivek Ramaswamy and former Morgan County school board president Heather Hill.
Current Republican Ohio Auditor Keith Faber is running for attorney general in 2026; current Republican Ohio Treasurer Robert Sprague is running for secretary of state in 2026; and current Republican Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose is running for auditor in 2026.
Current Republican Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost had been running for governor, but recently dropped out of the race after the Ohio Republican Party endorsed Ramaswamy.
Bryan Hambley, a cancer doctor with University of Cincinnati Health, is the only announced Democratic candidate for Ohio Secretary of State. No other Democrats have yet announced their candidacy in 2026 for Ohio auditor, treasurer, or attorney general.
Ohio House Minority Leader Allison Russo, D-Upper Arlington, announced last week she is stepping down from her leadership role at the end of the month, but she has not said whether she will seek a statewide office.
The last time any Democratic candidates won any of Ohio's statewide executive offices was in 2006, when Ted Strickland was elected governor, Marc Dann was elected attorney general, Rich Cordray was elected treasurer, and Jennifer Brunner was elected secretary of state. They were all swept out of office in the 2010 cycle.
Also in 2006, Democrat Sherrod Brown was elected to his first of three terms in the U.S. Senate, defeating then-incumbent U.S. Senator and now-incumbent Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, before being defeated himself in 2024.
Follow Capital Journal Reporter Megan Henry on Bluesky.
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