2026 Ohio Secretary of State election
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November 3, 2026
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| Elections in Ohio |
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The 2026 Ohio Secretary of State election is scheduled to take place on November 3, 2026, to elect the secretary of state of Ohio. Incumbent Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose is term-limited and ineligible to run for re-election. He is running for state auditor of Ohio.[1] Primary elections were held on May 5.
Republican primary
[edit]Candidates
[edit]Nominee
[edit]- Robert Sprague, Ohio state treasurer (2019–present) (previously ran for governor)[2]
Eliminated in primary
[edit]Withdrawn
[edit]- Niraj Antani, former state senator (2021–2024) and candidate for Ohio's 2nd congressional district in 2024 (ran for state treasurer, later withdrew)[4]
Declined
[edit]- Jay Edwards, former state representative from the 94th district (2017–2025) (running for state treasurer)[5]
Endorsements
[edit]Robert Sprague
Labor unions
Marcell Strbich
Executive branch officials
- Michael Flynn, former United States National Security advisor (2017)[a][7]
Declined to endorse
Newspapers
Polling
[edit]| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[b] |
Margin of error |
Robert Sprague |
Marcell Strbich |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| co/efficient (R)[9] | January 20–22, 2026 | 819 (LV) | ± 3.4% | 4% | 12% | 84% |
Results
[edit]
Sprague
- 50–60%
- 60–70%
- 70–80%
- 80–90%
Strbich
- 50–60%
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Robert Sprague | 543,551 | 70.21 | |
| Republican | Marcell Strbich | 230,584 | 29.79 | |
| Total votes | 774,135 | 100.00 | ||
Democratic primary
[edit]Candidates
[edit]Nominee
[edit]- Allison Russo, former minority leader of the Ohio House of Representatives (2022–2025) and nominee for Ohio's 15th congressional district in 2021[11]
Eliminated in primary
[edit]- Bryan Hambley, oncologist at UC Health[12]
Endorsements
[edit]Bryan Hambley
U.S. representatives
- Mary Jo Kilroy, former OH-15 (2009–2011)[13]
Statewide officials
- Dick Celeste, former governor of Ohio (1983–1991)[14]
State legislators
- Nickie Antonio, Senate minority leader from SD-23 (2019–present)[14]
Local officials
- Tony Cuda, former interim mayor of Cleveland Heights (2025), president of Cleveland Heights Council (2022–present)[15]
- Stephanie Howse-Jones, Cleveland City Council Ward 7 (2022–present)[14]
Political parties
Allison Russo
Organizations
Labor unions
- Greater Cincinnati Building and Construction Trades Council[20]
- Ohio Education Association[14]
Newspapers
Declined to endorse
Political parties
Fundraising
[edit]| Campaign finance reports as of January 30, 2026 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Raised | Spent | Cash on hand |
| Brian Hambley (D) | $886,244[c] | $175,480 | $545,918 |
| Allison Russo (D) | $367,725 | $175,773 | $192,458 |
| Source: Ohio Secretary of State[22][23] | |||
Results
[edit]
Russo
- 50–60%
- 60–70%
- 70–80%
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Allison Russo | 487,313 | 67.40 | |
| Democratic | Bryan Hambley | 235,668 | 32.60 | |
| Total votes | 722,981 | 100.00 | ||
Libertarian primary
[edit]Candidates
[edit]Nominee
[edit]- Tom Pruss, small business owner and nominee for Ohio's 9th congressional district in 2024[25]
Results
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Libertarian | Tom Pruss | 8,633 | 100.00 | |
| Total votes | 8,633 | 100.00 | ||
General election
[edit]Predictions
[edit]| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[27] | Likely R | August 7, 2025 |
Post-primary endorsements
[edit]Allison Russo (D)
- Organizations
Notes
[edit]- ↑ Flynn was a Democrat during his time as National Security advisor, but became a registered Republican in 2021.
- ↑ Key:
A – all adults
RV – registered voters
LV – likely voters
V – unclear - ↑ $165,000 of this total was self-funded by Hambley.
References
[edit]- ↑ Leigh, Harri (February 10, 2025). "Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose announces bid for state auditor". Spectrum News. Retrieved February 12, 2025.
- ↑ Balmert, Jessie; BeMiller, Haley (February 5, 2025). "Ohio Treasurer Robert Sprague to run for secretary of state, backs Ramaswamy for governor". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
- ↑ "Strbich Surpasses $200K Raised in First Six Weeks of Campaign". PR Newswire. July 29, 2025. Retrieved September 19, 2025.
- ↑ Glynn, Erin (February 12, 2025). "Former Ohio Sen. Niraj Antani drops out of secretary of state race to run for treasurer". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved February 12, 2025.
- ↑ Pelzer, Jeremy (April 11, 2025). "Ex-lawmaker Jay Edwards enters crowded GOP primary for Ohio Treasurer in 2026". Cleveland Plain Dealer. Retrieved August 14, 2025.
- ↑ "The Central Midwest Carpenters is proud to endorse Vivek Ramaswamy for Ohio Governor, Keith Faber for Ohio Attorney General, and Robert Sprague for Ohio Secretary of State". Central Midwest Carpenters on Facebook. Retrieved November 10, 2025.
- ↑ Pelzer, Jeremy (November 6, 2025). "Ohioans overwhelmingly vote to fund libraries in wake of state funding cuts: Capitol Letter". Cleveland News. Retrieved November 10, 2025.
- 1 2 "Endorsement roundup for the May 5, 2026, primary election". The Plain Dealer. April 7, 2026. Retrieved April 26, 2026.
- ↑ "Ohio Secretary of State 2026 Republican Primary". January 22, 2026. Retrieved January 27, 2026.
- ↑ "May 5, 2026 Primary/Special Election Official Canvass". Ohio Secretary of State. Retrieved June 5, 2026.
- ↑ Petcash, Doug (August 21, 2025). "State Rep. Allison Russo announces bid for Ohio Secretary of State". WBNS-TV. Retrieved August 21, 2025.
- ↑ Wilkinson, Howard (January 8, 2025). "Ohio has its first 2026 Democratic candidate for Secretary of State". Ideastream. Retrieved February 1, 2025.
- ↑ HambleyforOhio (October 8, 2025). "I'm pleased to announce that I've been endorsed by former Ohio District 15 (Franklin County) Congresswoman Mary Jo Kilroy, who shared the following: "Gerrymandered districts are antithetical to democracy. I support Bryan Hambley for Secretary of State because he will make sure that Ohio will have fair elections." Thank you Congresswoman for your support of my campaign! #HambleyForOhio #CareforOhio #Endorsement #SecretaryofState". Retrieved April 22, 2026 – via Facebook.
- 1 2 3 4 Suddes, Thomas. "Opponents of Ohio property-tax repeal begin organizing against it: Thomas Suddes". Cleveland.com. Retrieved April 22, 2026.
- ↑ HambleyforOhio (October 29, 2025). "Endorsed!". Retrieved April 22, 2026 – via Facebook.
- ↑ Monaco, Charles (April 2, 2026). "Ohio WFP Endorses Slate of Candidates and Ballot Measures". Working Families Party. Retrieved April 4, 2026.
- ↑ "314 Action Fund Endorses Allison Russo for Ohio Secretary of State". 314action.org. January 29, 2026. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
- ↑ "EMILYs List Expands Ohio Electoral Push with Endorsements of Knickerbocker, Brunner, Zayas, and Russo". emilyslist.org. March 5, 2026. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
- ↑ Tobias, Andrew (April 21, 2026). "Ohio Secretary of State Democratic primary pits outsider vs. insider". Signal Ohio. Retrieved April 22, 2026.
- ↑ "Greater Cincinnati Building and Construction Trades Council endorses Allison Russo for Secretary of State". The Chronicle. March 22, 2026. Retrieved March 25, 2026.
- ↑ Tobias, Andrew (April 21, 2026). "In Democratic primary for Ohio secretary of state, a first-time candidate gains traction in race against party veteran". Signal. Retrieved April 22, 2026.
- ↑ "Citizens to Elect Allison Russo". Ohio Secretary of State. Retrieved April 22, 2026.
- ↑ "Hambley for Ohio". Ohio Secretary of State. Retrieved April 22, 2026.
- ↑ "May 5, 2026 Primary/Special Election Official Canvass". Ohio Secretary of State. Retrieved June 5, 2026.
- ↑ Henry, Megan (February 6, 2026). "Here are the candidates running for Ohio statewide office in 2026". Ohio Capital Journal. Retrieved February 8, 2026.
- ↑ "May 5, 2026 Primary/Special Election Official Canvass". Ohio Secretary of State. Retrieved June 5, 2026.
- ↑ Jacobson, Louis (August 7, 2025). "Previewing the 2026 Secretary of State Races". Sabato's Crystal Ball. Retrieved September 19, 2025.
- ↑ "State and Local Candidates". EMILYs List. Retrieved August 8, 2026.
External links
[edit]Official campaign websites
