Overview:
Acton announced David Pepper Wednesday, the same day Republican Vivek Ramaswamy — also a Cincinnati native — announced Ohio Senate President Rob McColley as his running mate for the Republican ticket.
Democratic Ohio gubernatorial candidate Dr. Amy Acton has selected Cincinnati native David Pepper as her running mate for the 2026 race.
Acton announced Pepper Wednesday, the same day Republican Vivek Ramaswamy — also a Cincinnati native — announced Ohio Senate President Rob McColley as his running mate for the Republican ticket.
“I’m an entrepreneur, not a politician, and selected Rob to be a governing partner who can help advance our ambitious legislative agenda,” Ramaswamy said of his running mate.
Who is David Pepper?
Pepper has served in local government, including as a member of Cincinnati City Council from 2001-2005 and on the Hamilton County Commission from 2007-2010. He served as the commission’s president from 2009-2010. Pepper ran for state auditor in 2010, losing to Republican Dave Yost, then ran unsuccessfully for state attorney general in 2014, losing to now-Republican Gov. Mike DeWine. Pepper was elected chairman of the Ohio Democratic Party the following year, a position he held through 2020. He’s also published a series of political thrillers and taught election law as an adjunct professor at the University of Cincinnati.
“Together, we share a lifelong commitment to public service, and I’m thrilled to have him by my side in the fight to lower costs, tackle corruption, and ensure that every Ohioan can thrive,” Acton wrote on Facebook announcing her running mate.
Former Cincinnati mayor John Cranley weighed in on Acton’s pick in an emailed statement, calling Pepper an “inspired choice” for lieutenant governor.
“A man of high integrity, David will fearlessly end the corruption in Columbus that has raised prices — like energy and medical bills — for all Ohioans,” his statement reads. “He’s lowered prices before — he lowered prescription drug costs in Cincinnati. A former local elected official, David knows that Statehouse corruption lines the pockets of fat cats at the expense of basic services for regular Ohioans. David can’t be bought and will end the corruption.”
Hamilton County Commissioner Denise Driehaus, who served in the Ohio House while Pepper was on the commission, also voiced her support for the Acton-Pepper ticket.
“He has a proven track record of lowering costs and delivering real policy solutions,” Driehaus wrote. “David provided invaluable service as a Hamilton County Commissioner, stabilizing the county’s finances amid the recession and using a smart foreclosure prevention program to save thousands of homes. I’m proud to support this ticket and turn Ohio blue in 2026.”
Gov. Mike DeWine’s endorsement
Ohio politics is currently dominated by a Republican supermajority, but recent polling from Emerson College shows the tides could turn as the presumed gubernatorial candidates are basically tied. Acton has a one-point lead over Ramaswamy, which is well within the poll’s margin of error.
Term-limited DeWine was not shy about his hesitation to endorse Ramaswamy in December, but he endorsed the presumed Republican nominee after Ramaswamy announced McColley would join him on the ticket.
“Senate President McColley is a strong leader who is well respected by the members of the General Assembly,” DeWine said in an official statement. “He knows Ohio and brings geographical balance to the ticket.”
DeWine worked closely with Acton during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic when she served as his state health director from 2019 to 2020. Ramaswamy has criticized Acton’s governmental role during the pandemic, claiming she led Ohio to be the first state to shut down public schools, but DeWine defended Acton in a December interview with NBC4 Columbus.
“I got advice from her. I got advice from people around the country,” DeWine said. “I was trying to get as much information as I could about something that we did not know much about, and I made decisions based upon that, but they were my decisions. They were not her decisions.”
Acton and Ramaswamy are expected to win their respective primaries on May 5.