Governor of Ohio

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	Ohio Governor
	; ; ;
	General information
Office Type:	Partisan
Office website:	Official Link
Compensation:	$176,255
2026 FY Budget:	$4,196,821
Term limits:	Two consecutive terms
	Structure
Length of term:	4 years
Authority:	Ohio Constitution, Article III, Section 5
Selection Method:	Elected
	Current Officeholder(s)
	Governor of Ohio Richard Michael DeWine; Republican Party; Assumed office: January 14, 2019
	Elections
Next election:	2026
Last election:	2022
	Other Ohio Executive Offices
	Governor • Lieutenant Governor • Secretary of State • Attorney General • Treasurer • Auditor • Superintendent of Education • Agriculture Commissioner • Insurance Commissioner • Natural Resources Commissioner • Labor Commissioner • Public Service Commission

The Governor of the State of Ohio is an elected constitutional officer, the head of the executive branch and the highest state office in Ohio. The governor is popularly elected every four years by a plurality and is limited to two consecutive terms.^[1]

Prior to 1963, the term of office was two years and, prior to 1995, term limits were not in place.^[2]^[3]

Ohio has a Republican trifecta. The Republican Party controls the office of governor and both chambers of the state legislature.

Ohio has a Republican triplex. The Republican Party controls the offices of governor, secretary of state, and attorney general.

See also: Ohio State Legislature, Ohio House of Representatives, Ohio State Senate

Current officeholder

The current Governor of Ohio is Richard Michael DeWine (R). DeWine assumed office in 2019.

Authority

The state Constitution addresses the office of the governor in Article III, the Executive Department.

Under Article III, Section 5:

The supreme executive power of this state shall be vested in the governor.^[4]

Qualifications

A candidate for the governor's office may not hold any congressional or federal office or any other state office.^[4]

A candidate for governor of Ohio must be:^[5]

at least 18 years old
a resident of the state
a U.S. citizen

Vacancies

See also: How gubernatorial vacancies are filled

Details of vacancy appointments are addressed under Article III, Sections 15, 17, and 22.

If the governor dies, resigns, is removed or is convicted on impeachment, the lieutenant governor succeeds.

The lieutenant governor also serves as the acting governor in the event of any temporary disability of the governor.

After the lieutenant governor, the line of succession goes to the President Pro Tem of the Ohio State Senate and then to the Speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives. Whoever serves as the acting governor has the full duties, powers, and emoluments of the elected governor.

Of the four offices of the governor, lieutenant governor, President Pro Tem of the Senate, and Speaker of the House of Representatives, no person may hold two of them simultaneously or receive the compensation and emoluments of more than one office simultaneously.

If both the offices of the governor and the lieutenant governor are vacant and there are more than 20 months remaining in the current term, a special election for both offices shall be held at the next general election. The highest officer in the line of succession serves as an acting governor until the election.

If a governor-elect is unable to take office, the lieutenant governor-elect takes office and serves as the governor. If the governor-elect is only temporarily unable to take office, the lieutenant governor-elect serves as acting governor until the elected governor's disability is removed.

If, by a joint resolution, the legislature presents the case for the governor's removal on grounds of mental disability to discharge the office, the Supreme Court of Ohio shall have "original, exclusive, and final, jurisdiction" in the case. Within 21 days of receipt of such a resolution, the court shall give notice to the governor, hold a public hearing and render a decision.

If the office is vacated in such a manner, the court also has "original, exclusive, and final, jurisdiction" in choosing the manner of succession to the office.

Elections

Ohio elects governors in the midterm elections, that is, even years that are not presidential election years. For Ohio, 2018, 2022, 2026, 2030, and 2034 are all gubernatorial election years. Legally, the gubernatorial inauguration is always set for the second Monday in the January following an election.

If two candidates are tied, the joint session of the legislature shall cast votes to choose among the top two vote getters.^[4]

Term limits

See also: States with gubernatorial term limits

Ohio governors are restricted to two consecutive terms in office, after which they must wait one term before being eligible to run again.

Ohio Constitution, Article III, Section 2

No person shall hold the office of governor for a period longer than two successive terms of four years.^[4]

Partisan composition

The chart below shows the partisan breakdown of Ohio governors from 1992 to 2013.

Election results

There are no official candidates yet for this election.

Ohio gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2026 (May 5 Democratic primary)

Ohio gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2026 (May 5 Republican primary)

Ohio gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2026 (May 5 Libertarian primary)

General election

The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.

General election for Governor of Ohio

The following candidates are running in the general election for Governor of Ohio on November 3, 2026.

		Candidate
		Amy Acton (D) / David Pepper (D)
		Vivek Ramaswamy (R) / Robert McColley (R)
		Don Kissick (L) / James Mills (L)
		Tim Grady (Independent) / Andrea Neutzling (Independent) (Write-in)
		Heather Hill (Independent) / Pat Manley (Independent) (Write-in)
	Submit photo	Renea Turner (Independent) / Jalen Turner (Independent) (Write-in)
	Submit photo Submit photo	Ron Ula (Independent) / Michael Lehnerd (Independent) (Write-in)

	There are no incumbents in this race.
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Democratic primary

Democratic primary for Governor of Ohio

Amy Acton (D) advanced from the Democratic primary for Governor of Ohio on May 5, 2026.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Amy Acton / David Pepper	100.0	767,360

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 767,360
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Tristan Heidelburg (D)

Republican primary

Republican primary for Governor of Ohio

Vivek Ramaswamy (R) defeated Casey Putsch (R) and Heather Hill (R) (Disqualified, still on ballot) in the Republican primary for Governor of Ohio on May 5, 2026.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Vivek Ramaswamy / Robert McColley	82.4	676,562
	Casey Putsch / Kim Georgeton	17.6	144,184

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 820,746
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Heather Hill (R) (Disqualified, still on ballot) / Stuart Moats (R) (Withdrew, still on ballot)
Robert Sprague (R)
Renea Turner (R) / Jalen Turner (R)
Dave Yost (R)

Libertarian Party primary

Libertarian Party primary for Governor of Ohio

Don Kissick (L) defeated Travis Vought (L) in the Libertarian Party primary for Governor of Ohio on May 5, 2026.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Don Kissick / James Mills	98.0	8,705
	Submit photo	Travis Vought / Christy Jo Orr (Write-in)	2.0	180

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 8,885
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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