The 2026 midterm elections are a busy time for Ohio. Not only are there key federal elections, like a costly U.S. Senate special election, but also a high-profile governor’s race. Then there’s the open battle for attorney general.
Down-ballot races could be tricky, especially with a Republican president in office and Democrats potentially winning the Senate or governor’s race. But Ohio Auditor Keith Faber, the Republican candidate, is “feel[ing] good,” telling the Daily Signal, “I think we’ve run a competitive campaign” and “executed on what we’ve needed to execute.” He’s also outspent his Democratic opponent, John Kulewicz.
This is all while he acknowledged “in the end, this is an interesting election year. I think we’re getting headwinds, and it’s making it more difficult for the down ticket races.”
Topping the ticket is the governor’s race between Republican Vivek Ramaswamy and Democrat Amy Acton, with Acton seen as having the edge according to forecasters, polls, and prediction markets.
Faber stressed that the outcome Tuesday will depend on turnout. “If the normal Republican voters show up, the whole ticket’s going to be successful,” he predicted. Faber also later pointed out he believes this speaks to how Ohio “is generally a red state or certainly a reddish state.”
In 2018, arguably a blue-wave year—though not in Ohio statewide races—Faber noted that he and other Republican statewide candidates had been down in the polls but went on to win. He’s leading in the polls now, and also favored even if other Ohio Republicans might not be at this point.
Adam Piper, executive director of the Republican Attorneys General Association, also expressed confidence in Faber’s chances.
“Keith Faber is one of the most qualified candidates Ohio has ever had for attorney general,” Piper told the Daily Signal, bringing up his experience as state auditor and his past role as Senate president, speaking to his “legitimate record of fighting fraud, waste, and abuse.”
Piper also noted that attorneys general are seen as pro-law enforcement candidates and pointed to the safety concerns that come with the Democratic Socialists of America’s influence on the Democratic Party and soft-on-crime district attorneys.
If Acton and Kulewicz win, Piper warned, they’ll “turn Ohio, into a junior varsity form of Minneapolis with California values and New York-styled socialism.”
What’s at stake goes beyond general law and order and safety concerns, as well as the support of law enforcement, which Faber has touted on the campaign trail that he has.
One particular case that Faber is concerned about going forward involves Ohio’s voucher program. EdChoice has been deemed unconstitutional by the courts, but is to be appealed to the state Supreme Court and is allowed to remain in effect.
Faber expressed concerns about the case if Kulewicz were to win, given that he “hasn’t committed” and “could decide he’s not going to appeal that.”
The Republican stressed the importance of the program, given that “upwards of 25% of Ohio students are educated through vouchers now, and it is very important for Ohio families to know they’re not going to be financially strapped if they’re getting a voucher and to keep their choice for where their kids go to school. And that’s a very important case that my opponent’s never talked about, and his largest donors, the teachers’ unions, don’t want continued.”
“It’s Republican AGs [who are] freedom’s frontline and also the last line of defense. And so, on the biggest issues, on the biggest stages, Republican AGs delivered those wins,” Piper shared about the important work attorneys general do.
“Whatever the next big case is, the difference between a Republican AG and a Democrat AG is the difference between night and day, on the future, on whether it’s morning in America or not, tomorrow, next week, and next year.”
Faber also argued the position of attorney general may even be more important than who is governor, given that the governor “for public policy issues has to go through the legislature.”
“The most important thing in Ohio right now is making sure that our public safety officials, our law enforcement, and prosecutors, have the support to keep Ohio safe,” Faber noted, also speaking to having “an attorney general who is going to pursue justice for Ohioans.”
This means “going after the human traffickers, the cyber fraudsters, the elder abusers, the big companies who want to rip Ohioans off, and that’s going to be a very important difference between a Republican and a Democrat.”
He went on to mention that he and Kulewicz would “approach things very differently.” These may be “partisan elections, but they’re not partisan offices,” Faber also stressed.
Faber has his own concerns about Kulewicz, including how “he’s never prosecuted a single criminal case” and “does not have the support of law enforcement or prosecutors, and he has not talked the entire election about what he’s going to do in that regard. That’s just not his background. He’s also never run anything. He would walk into a 1,600-person office that’s complex and multifaceted, and he’s going to be learning as be goes.”
The Daily Signal reached out to Kulewicz’s campaign for comment but did not hear back in time for publication.
Faber or Kulewicz will replace Attorney General Andy Wilson, who replaced Dave Yost, who has been with Alliance Defending Freedom since June.
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[ H/T The Daily Signal ]
