The Scoop
There’s a lot of buzz that NCAA national champion Jim Tressel will jump into Ohio’s gubernatorial race. He’ll be a big underdog if he does.
Polling from an outside conservative group shows Tressel, a legendary former Ohio State football coach, trailing Vivek Ramaswamy badly in a potential GOP primary, according to numbers reviewed by Semafor. Ramaswamy, a former Republican presidential contender, leads a potential race with 46% of the vote, with Tressel receiving 19% and Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost with 13%, according to a sample of 344 GOP voters who plan to vote in the gubernatorial primary.
Those are the first numbers on a hypothetical race including Tressel, who was appointed lieutenant governor recently by Gov. Mike DeWine. Tressel is slated to head at least three Lincoln Day Dinners in Ohio, fueling rumors he’ll run against Ramaswamy and give centrist Republicans an option in the race.
President Donald Trump has already endorsed Ramaswamy, and Rep. Bob Latta, R-Ohio, predicted “you’re going to see Vivek way ahead of everyone in a short period of time.”
According to one Ohio Republican, there’s a 50/50 chance Tressel will run.
Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, isn’t so sure.
“I don’t think so. I really don’t. I think his wife is very happy with him being retired,” Moreno told Semafor. “Vivek will do a great job. Honestly, the only endorsement that matters is President Trump. The rest of it is all nice to have. As much as my ego would like me to think my endorsement matters, DJT’s the only one that matters.”
A Tressel spokesperson did not respond to a question about the lieutenant governor’s future plans. And around Ohio, there’s plenty of skepticism that the former coach wants to take on both Trump and his first statewide run for office at age 72.
“Lobbyists around Columbus are praying anyone else gets in so they can keep their gravy train going. Jim Tressel was a great coach, but the political class knows he would represent the status quo,” said a Ramaswamy ally. “Sadly for him, if he got in the race against Vivek and Donald Trump, he would start to resemble John Cooper.”
Tressel was named Cooper’s successor as Ohio State football coach in 2001.
Know More
All the drama was kicked off by the Trump ticket’s November win. After now-Vice President JD Vance resigned his Senate seat, DeWine faced a tough choice between Ramaswamy and then-Lt. Gov. Jon Husted, both of whom seemed interested in running for governor. Ramaswamy was then in line to help lead the Department of Government Efficiency alongside Elon Musk.
DeWine’s selection of Husted left a relatively wide open lane for Ramaswamy to run for governor, and he recently launched his campaign. DeWine recently appointed Tressel to be his lieutenant governor, raising eyebrows in the state because of the latter’s enduring popularity.
One coach-turned-politician said he didn’t think Tressel would go through with it, either.
“He’s not gonna do that,” said Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., citing a recent conversation with Husted. “I don’t think he wants any part of it. It’s good that he’s lieutenant governor. He might learn to like it.”
What’s more, the general election could be competitive. Amy Acton, who led the state’s response to the pandemic, is also running as a Democrat, and there’s buzz that former Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown is more likely to pursue the gubernatorial race than another Senate bid.
“Vivek versus Ohio’s Anthony Fauci,” Moreno scoffed, referring to Acton. “You can imagine how easy that should be.”
Notable
- Ramaswamy raised $1 million in two weeks, NBC reported.
- Tressel has so far dodged the question of getting into the governor’s race.