Travis Vought

Travis Vought (Libertarian Party) ran for election for Governor of Ohio. Vought lost as a write-in in the Libertarian Party primary on May 5, 2026.

Vought completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Travis Vought served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 2003 to 2011. Vought earned a high school diploma from Horseheads High School and earned a bachelor's degree in intelligence studies from American Military University in 2011. Vought's career experience includes being a nonprofit founder.^[1]

Elections

2026

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.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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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
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates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
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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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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Campaign finance

Endorsements

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Campaign themes

2026

Ballotpedia survey responses

Travis Vought completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Vought's responses.

Expand All

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, nonprofit founder, and former financial compliance professional running for Governor of Ohio. I served from 2003 to 2011 as a Human Intelligence specialist and staff sergeant, supporting counter-IED and intelligence operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. My military experience shaped my commitment to accountability, service, and protecting people from harm and exploitation.

After leaving the military, I spent more than a decade working in regulatory compliance and risk management, including roles focused on anti-money-laundering, due diligence, and policy oversight. That work gave me firsthand insight into how complex systems operate, how risk is managed, and where institutions sometimes fail the people they are meant to serve.

In 2025, I founded Veteran Home Guardians, a nonprofit focused on employing veterans to provide paid services to elderly, disabled, and homebound residents. Through this work, I have seen how community-based solutions can strengthen local economies, restore dignity through meaningful work, and rebuild trust between neighbors.

I am running for Governor because I believe government should be accountable, responsive, and grounded in the will of the people. My priorities include ensuring court decisions are enforced, protecting Ohioans from exploitation, expanding workforce-based community support programs, and growing emerging industries to create sustainable economic opportunity across the state.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Enforce Court Decisions and Protect Equal Justice I will ensure that when courts rule, their decisions are actually carried out. Too often, agencies or well-funded parties can delay compliance, forcing ordinary people to spend more money just to receive what they have already legally won. That undermines trust in the rule of law. My priority is enforcing execution timelines, increasing transparency, and preventing financial leverage from being used to stall or weaken court decisions. Justice should not depend on who can afford to wait the longest.
Follow the Will of Ohio Voters I believe government exists to carry out the decisions of the people. When Ohioans vote on issues like cannabis policy, land use, or other statewide matters, those outcomes should be implemented clearly and consistently. My focus is ensuring voter-approved laws are executed faithfully and that residents have a meaningful voice in decisions that directly affect their communities. Democracy requires more than elections — it requires government that listens and follows through.
Strengthen Communities Through Work and Local Solutions I support expanding workforce-based service programs that create opportunity while meeting real community needs. My priority is growing models that employ veterans to provide paid assistance to elderly, disabled, and homebound residents. This approach strengthens local economies, restores dignity through work, and builds trust by connecting help directly to people. Strong communities are built when support systems empower individuals rather than creating dependency.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am deeply committed to protecting people from exploitation and strengthening individual freedom. My primary areas of focus include combating human trafficking, preventing financial and labor exploitation, and ensuring systems do not allow vulnerable individuals to be taken advantage of. I am passionate about policies that increase accountability, expand economic opportunity, and empower communities to protect their members. I believe freedom is strongest when people have both a voice in decisions that affect them and protection from coercion, abuse, and systemic neglect.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Campaign website

Vought's campaign website stated the following:

Property Taxes
We can end Owner Occupied Property Taxes in Ohio Responsibly. Ohio families are fed up with skyrocketing property taxes — and they're right to be. The citizen-led push to abolish them via constitutional amendment is gaining steam. That's powerful energy.

But the truth: A demand is loud, but a plan is what actually delivers.

My executive memo lays out a real path forward:

Immediate relief: State offsets 100% of property taxes on owner-occupied primary homes (OOPTO) so families stop paying out-of-pocket Day 1.

Fair replacement: Shift to a simplified flat state income tax with a protected floor — zero tax for those near or below poverty level, ability-to-pay principle.
Schools & locals held harmless: No cuts to essential services during transition.

Growth focus: Remove barriers to work/enterprise so Ohio's economy expands and fills any gaps.
This isn't just "end it" — it's "end it responsibly" while protecting kids' schools, firefighters, and communities. No chaos, no 20% sales tax spikes.

Abolition groups are driving the fight — I'm building the bridge to make it work for everyday Ohioans.
What do you think?
Demand alone, or demand + detailed plan?
Share below — let's talk real solutions.

Gun Ownership
I’m a Marine veteran. I swore an oath to uphold and defend the Constitution, and that includes the Second Amendment. I own multiple firearms myself including a Barrett 50 BMG. I’ll stand with you against anyone who tries to disarm law-abiding Americans. Free people have the right to defend themselves.

Oorah.

Fraud and Oversight
I spent 11 years deep in Anti-Money Laundering at JPMorgan Chase building systems that catch sophisticated fraud across billions of dollars in transactions. Here’s what that teaches you fast: Before a bank EVER raises fees, it hunts fraud first. Before it squeezes customers, it fixes waste inside its own house. Government should work the same way. Instead, Ohio families get hit with higher property taxes, income taxes, and constant talk of “new revenue” while billions leak out through waste, improper payments, and weak controls. And here’s the hard truth: Democrats and Republicans won’t take this on — because real fraud enforcement creates political risk, exposes failures, and disrupts entrenched interests. But that’s exactly why it must be done. With bank-level fraud detection, analytics, and accountability, we can uncover massive waste in Medicaid, unemployment, grants, and state programs — enough to protect services AND deliver real tax relief without taking one more dime from taxpayers.
That’s why I’m running for Governor.
Proper questions. Proper order. Cut the fraud. Cut the waste. THEN talk about taxes.
Ohio deserves a government that treats your money with the same rigor banks use to protect theirs.

— Travis Vought's campaign website (April 21, 2026)

Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.

Campaign finance summary

Campaign finance information for this candidate is not yet available from OpenSecrets. That information will be published here once it is available.

External links

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Candidate

Governor of Ohio

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Footnotes

↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on February 21, 2026

[1] Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on February 21, 2026

[1]

Travis Vought

Contents

Biography

Elections

2026

General election

General election for Governor of Ohio

Democratic primary

Democratic primary for Governor of Ohio

Republican primary

Republican primary for Governor of Ohio

Libertarian Party primary

Libertarian Party primary for Governor of Ohio

Campaign finance

Endorsements

Campaign themes

2026

Ballotpedia survey responses

Campaign website

Property Taxes

Gun Ownership

Fraud and Oversight

Campaign finance summary

See also

External links

Footnotes

Information about voting

2026 Elections

2027 Elections

Election analysis

Trending

Public Policy

Information for candidates

Get Engaged

Services

Additional analysis

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