Allison Russo, a Democrat from Upper Arlington, is Ohio’s House Minority Leader.
Allison Russo, Ohio House Minority Leader, is remaining tight-lipped about any future political plans she may have following her announcement last week that she will step down from her leadership position at the end of this month.
When asked if she is considering running for statewide office, the Democratic lawmaker from Upper Arlington responded, “I want to get through this transition first, make sure the new leadership team has all of the support, and they get into place.”
“I am going to take some time off. I’ll be with my family in July, and we’ll have more time to discuss this later.
All four statewide executive offices (governor, attorney general, auditor, and secretary of state) are up for election in 2026, with all current Republican incumbents term-limited and unable to run again.
Dr. Amy Acton, the former director of the Ohio Health Department, is currently the only Democratic candidate for governor of Ohio.
Republican candidates include Vivek Ramaswamy, a businessman, and Heather Hill, the former president of the Morgan County school board.
Democrats are waiting to see whether former U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown will run for Senate, Ohio governor, or nothing at all.
Current Republican Ohio Auditor Keith Faber is running for attorney general in 2026, current Republican Ohio Treasurer Robert Sprague is running for secretary of state in 2026, and current Republican Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose is running for auditor.
Current Republican Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost was running for governor, but he dropped out after the Ohio Republican Party endorsed Ramaswamy.
Bryan Hambley, a cancer doctor at the University of Cincinnati Health, is the only announced Democratic candidate for Ohio Secretary of State.
No other Democrats have announced their intentions to run for Ohio auditor, treasurer, or attorney general in 2026.
The last time Democrats won any of Ohio’s statewide executive offices was in 2006, when Ted Strickland was elected governor, Marc Dann was elected attorney general, Rich Cordray was elected treasurer, and Jennifer Brunner was elected secretary of state. They were all swept out of office during the 2010 cycle.
According to Russo, the vote for a new Ohio House Minority Leader is expected to take place in the last week of June, just before lawmakers go on summer break.
“I’m not making any endorsements,” she explained. “The decision about who will leave this caucus next is up to the entire caucus, not one individual member.”
Ohio House Speaker Matt Huffman, R-Lima, said he doesn’t know who will replace Russo.
“I said to members of our caucus, obviously, they’re free to vote however they want, but we’re just going to wait to see what comes out of the minority caucus and deal with that,” he recalled.
Russo’s term ends on December 31, 2026.
“I’m looking forward to shifting my focus to policy work and being back on committees,” she told me. “I’m excited about the potential of the new leadership team and the energy that brings and to work alongside those folks.”
