Ohio Libertarians, state’s lone third party, lining up candidates for top 2026 races

COLUMBUS, Ohio—As Ohio Republicans and Democrats finalize their slates of candidates for nan 2026 midterm elections, nan Libertarian Party of Ohio is looking to section candidates successful galore of nan state’s biggest and astir contentious races.

The Libertarians, Ohio’s only recognized insignificant governmental party, person imaginable candidates gathering elector signatures to tally for governor, U.S. Senate, caput of state, and astatine slightest 2 battleground legislature races, according to authorities statement chair Michael Sweeney.

The postulation of imaginable candidates ranges from nan erstwhile chair of nan nationalist Libertarian Party to a food-truck reality TV show prima who besides performs arsenic a resistance queen named “Sugar Vermonte.”

Libertarian candidates, who mostly espouse a level of constricted authorities and free-market principles, not only springiness Ohio voters different action connected their ballots – their beingness tin thief find nan result of adjacent races, usually to nan use of Democrats.

In the 2024 title for Ohio’s 9th Congressional District, Democratic U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur’s 2,382-vote triumph separator complete Republican challenger Derek Merrin was little than a sixth of nan 15,381 votes formed for Libertarian campaigner Tom Pruss.

This year, Kaptur faces an moreover much uphill reelection conflict successful a territory made much GOP-friendly by different information of legislature redistricting. Pruss is aiming to tally for caput of authorities this year, but Ohio Libertarians person recruited different campaigner to tally for Kaptur’s seat: David Gedert, a 42-year-old food-truck usability from Toledo who besides performs arsenic a resistance queen named Sugar Vermonte.

Two Libertarians are presently collecting signatures connected petitions to tally for Ohio governor: Don Kissick, a 55-year-old TV position control-room usability from Ottawa who sewage 3.4% of nan ballot successful Ohio’s 2024 U.S. Senate race, and Travis Vought of Morrow County, a risk-management lead for JPMorgan Chase.

Kissick, successful an interview, said he intends to tally connected lowering nan state’s centrifugal substance taxation and banning precocious departed elected officials from serving arsenic lobbyists.

Vought, whose level includes mounting up a state-funded programme to thief aged and abnormal Ohioans pinch tasks for illustration location cleaning, raised nan thought of him and Kissick joining forces connected a azygous ticket. However, Kissick was cool to that proposal, saying it’s important for Ohio Libertarians to person a high-profile contested title to motivate voters to formed ballots successful their party’s primary.

For U.S. Senate, Bill Redpath of Findlay – a erstwhile Libertarian National Chairman who ran for U.S. Senate successful Illinois successful 2022 – confirmed Tuesday he is circulating campaigner petitions.

Other Libertarians gathering signatures see John Hancock Jr. of Cincinnati for Ohio’s 1st Congressional District – a territory that’s presently held by Democratic U.S. Rep. Greg Landsman of Cincinnati but will go acold much GOP-friendly this twelvemonth acknowledgment to redistricting.

Since regaining authorities nickname successful 2024 for nan first clip successful 4 years, Ohio Libertarians opportunity their goal this twelvemonth is to section candidates for each federal, authorities and section agency connected nan ballot. Whether they’ll execute that eager extremity won’t beryllium known until aft nan state’s campaigner filing deadline passes connected Feb. 4.

As a recognized insignificant party, Libertarian candidates person to cod a humble number of valid signatures from registered voters, ranging from 25 signatures for legislature candidates to 500 signatures for politician and different statewide offices.

However, Sweeney said galore of his party’s candidates haven’t revenge their petitions yet to minimize their chances that Republicans aliases others will situation nan validity of nan petition signatures.

That’s not an unrealistic fear. In 2014, then-Secretary of State Jon Husted disqualified nan Libertarian candidates for politician and caput of authorities from nan ballot because of petition challenges later recovered to beryllium bankrolled by nan Ohio Republican Party.

“We cognize that this is not going to beryllium easy for us, nary matter really it slides,” Sweeney said. “So, we want to make judge we person each of our ducks successful a row.”

Gedert, whose mac-and-cheese nutrient motortruck “Maybe Cheese Born With It” was runner-up successful nan Food Network’s reality show “The Great Food Truck Race” successful 2022, said successful an question and reply that he’s looking to amended connected nan 4.1% of nan ballot that Pruss sewage successful 2024.

He said that, among different things, he hopes to capitalize connected elector sentiment successful favour of recreational marijuana, noting that he’s moving arsenic cannabis advocates are attempting to shape a statewide referendum to repeal caller regulations connected intoxicating hemp beverages.

Gedert, for illustration others successful his party, takes rumor pinch nan explanation “spoilers” -- that he and different Libertarians are important only because of nan votes they mightiness tie from their major-party opponents.

“The two-party strategy has perfectly grounded America, and Americans are fresh to guidelines up and make different choice,” he said.

Jeremy Pelzer has worked successful nan Columbus bureau of cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer since 2013. Prior to that, Pelzer worked for Gongwer News Service successful Ohio and covered authorities and authorities successful Illinois,...