Ohio Candidates File for May Primary

Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose has officially released the list of partisan candidates who submitted petitions to run for office in the May 5, 2026 primary election, providing a first look at who might eventually qualify for the ballot. 

Governor DeWine and his fellow statewide officeholders are all term-limited this year, meaning we’ll see new officeholders in those positions next year, though many of the candidates will be familiar as current officeholders. All 99-seats in the Ohio House are on the ballot, as well as 17 seats in the Ohio Senate. Two Ohio Supreme Court justices will be trying to retain their seats, including the state’s only statewide elected Democrat, Justice Jennifer Brunner. U.S. Senator Jon Husted (R) has to run for his appointed seat, and the 15 U.S. House members are running as well.

The primary election will be conducted on Tuesday, May 5, 2026.

Ohio Statewide Offices

Governor / Lt. Governor

Attorney General

Auditor

Secretary of State

Treasurer

Supreme Court (2 seats)

Ohio General Assembly

As noted above, all 99 Ohio House seats are up for election this year. With a few districts yet to report final candidates, there are 20 open seats, with members either facing term limits, running for a different elective office, or choosing not to run. Two Democratic and 5 Republican incumbents in the House are facing primaries, with 24 Democratic and 13 Republican primaries overall. Twelve Democrats and 4 Republicans will be unopposed in the fall. 

In the Senate, the 17 odd-numbered districts are on the ballot this fall. Only one incumbent, Senator Bill DeMora (D), faces a primary in May. Overall, there will be two Democratic and 3 Republican primaries. Eight seats are open: six Republican and two Democratic. Three Democrats and two Republicans will be unopposed in the fall.

Several current members will be attempting to switch chambers, including Representatives Jim Hoops (R), Beth Lear (R), Bride Sweeney (D), Steve Demetriou (R), Phil Plummer (R) and Gayle Manning (R) and Senators Nathan Manning (R) and Andrew Brenner (R). The Mannings are a mother-son pair who have already swapped seats once before. Former Representatives Craig Riedel (R), J. Todd Smith (R), and Christina Hagan (R) are attempting to serve again as well as former Senator Frank Hoagland (R) and former Ohio and U.S. Representative John Boccieri (D).

U.S. Senate and House

U.S. Senator Jon Husted (R), who was appointed to fill Vice President J.D. Vance’s Senate seat last year, must run in a special election to maintain his seat. Husted, who is unopposed in the primary, will face the winner of the Democratic and Libertarian primaries. Former U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown is running against Ron Kincaid in the Democratic primary, while Jeffrey Kanter and William Redpath are running in a Libertarian primary. The ultimate winner in the race will only serve out the remaining two years of Vance’s original term.

In the U.S. House, all 15 incumbents are running to retain their seats. Current Congressmen Greg Landsman (D), Joyce Beatty (D), Bob Latta (R), Michael Rulli (R), Shontel Brown (D), Dave Joyce (R), and Mike Carey (R) face primary challengers in May. Overall, there are 10 Democratic primaries and seven Republican primaries. No race is going uncontested. 

Next Steps

Before the candidate list is official, a couple of steps must occur. First, the county boards of elections must certify the validity and sufficiency of partisan candidates' petitions to the Secretary of State by February 17, 2026. And write-in candidates must file their declarations of intent by February 23, 2026. The deadline to register to vote in the May 5 primary is Monday, April 6, 2026.

We’ll continue to provide election coverage throughout this year. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions about Ohio’s elections generally or a specific race or candidate.

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