On Monday morning, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced the appointment of Jim Tressel as the state's new Lieutenant Governor. 

This is a ripple effect amid Jon Husted's reposition to U.S. Senator following J.D. Vance's election as Vice President. It leaves wider options for what the race looks like for the next Ohio Governor in the 2026 election. 

Mike DeWine has served as the 70th Governor of Ohio since 2019. Term limits welcome a governor's race come 2026, with some now eyeing Jim Tressel as a prospective candidate.

Eyes are on Attorney General Dave Yost and Trump-ally Vivek Ramaswamy as the next leader of the Buckeye State.

"President Tressel is not nearly extreme enough to ever win a Republican primary in this state," explained Chris Anderson, Chair of the Mahoning County Democratic Party.

Anderson views Tressel as a placeholder, with DeWine assuming Tressel has no interest in holding higher office.

"Or even continuing to hold the seat that they're currently in," he added during an interview with 21 News on Monday. "I'm assuming at some point in time, there was probably a conversation that happened between Dewine and President Tressel. Where President Tressel would have made it clear to the Governor that he doesn't have political ambitions but that he would be willing to do this for the duration of the time left on now Senator Husted's Lieutenant gubernatorial term."

University of Akron Political Science Professor David Cohen agrees Tressel is acting as a placeholder in Ohio politics with no potential run for Governor.

"You'd be hard-pressed to figure out what his politcs are. The research I did today on Tressel's political background, I couldn't find anything that pointed out whether he was a Democrat or Republican. He's certainly not someone who is a partisan or ideological warrior," Cohen said.

Anderson added Tressel will likely have to comment on far-right ideologies, something that he has stayed away from, even as President of Youngstown State.

“Throughout President Tressel’s time at YSU, he viewed the campus as a place that should be welcoming to everybody,” Anderson added. “He thought YSU should be a place where everyone should feel comfortable. Because that’s how you learn. So, that would be something he’d have to reconcile. How do you serve in an administration that has essentially never had the backbone to stand up to this hyper-fringe legislature.”

"If you noticed the Governor's comment, he said he asked Tressel to give him two years of public service and Tressel agreed," said Political columnist Bertram de Souza. "So it suggests to me that Tressel is not going to run for Governor."

Political columnist Bertram de Souza said even if Tressel ran for Governor, his middle-of-the-road politicals might not be what voters are looking for.

"I dont think Jim Tressel shares the ideology of Donald Trump's Republican Party," de Souza added.  "I've never heard him make comments that would suggest to me that he is an extremist. He's always been middle of the road, politically."

“I picture the Dave Yost’s, Vivek Ramaswamy’s, and J.D. Vance’s of the world winning the Governor’s seat,” Anderson added. “Folks that are willing to sell their souls and are willing to go against the things that they believe in. I think you’d have a hard time selling that narrative to anybody about Jim Tressel.”

de Souza doubts DeWine will publically endorse a candidate for Governor ahead of the 2026 primaries. 

“I don’t believe that DeWine will make an endorsement in the Ohio primaries,” de Souza said. “If DeWine endorses Ramaswamy, everyone is going to think he bowed down to Donald Trump. If he endorses Yost, then all of the Trump people are going to be angry. It is going to be tough.”

“It’s interesting that Gov. DeWine chose somebody in this very partisan moment that the country is in," Cohen added. "Somebody that is clearly not partisan and someone that has a lot of respect and goodwill on both sides of the aisle.”

So far,  the only Democratic candidate in the race for Governor is former Director of the Ohio Department of Health and Mahoning Valley native, Amy Acton.

Related coverage:

https://www.wfmj.com/story/52349879/local-lawmakers-say-theyre-surprised-and-excited-over-tressels-lt-gov-nomination

https://www.wfmj.com/story/52348142/tressel-named-as-nominee-for-ohio-lt-governor-job-but-not-first-valley-man-to-hold-that-seat

https://www.wfmj.com/story/52347622/former-ysu-president-football-coach-selected-as-ohio-lieutenant-governor