Ohio Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel announced on X Friday afternoon that after much “considerable thought and prayer,” he won’t be part of the 2026 race for governor in the Buckeye State. Tressel’s decision opens up a more straightforward path through the GOP primary for Vivek Ramaswamy, who clinched the Ohio party leadership’s endorsement for governor in May. Earlier this summer, Ramaswamy sat down with News 5’s John Kosich to about about his vision for Ohio in 2026 and beyond. This article was originally published on News5Cleveland.com and is published in the Ohio Capital Journal under a content-sharing agreement.