Dave Yost expected to resign May 7, creating vacancy for DeWine
Ohio Attorney General dave yost is expected to announce on May 7 that he is resigning from office, opening a vacancy at the top of Ohio's law enforcement system. Gov. Mike DeWine must appoint a successor to serve for the rest of the year, while the winner of November's attorney general race takes office in January.
May 7 and DeWine
Yost took over as attorney general in 2019 and could not seek reelection in November because of term limits. His plan to run for governor ended after Ohio Republicans and President Donald Trump coalesced around entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, leaving him the only sitting statewide Republican aside from DeWine who is not running for another office.
DeWine has already shown how he intends to handle a vacancy. After JD Vance became vice president, he appointed then-Lt. Gov. Jon Husted to serve as U.S. senator, then tapped former Ohio State University football coach Jim Tressel to replace Husted.
Keith Faber and John Kulewicz
Keith Faber, the Republican nominee and current state auditor, and Columbus attorney John Kulewicz are running for attorney general in November. The office will turn over again in January, when the election winner assumes it.
Yost's exit would mark another statewide opening before that transfer. It would also leave DeWine with the task of choosing someone to hold the office through the end of the year, a choice that could affect how the attorney general's office handles pending work before the next elected attorney general arrives.
Marc Dann in May 2008
The last elected Ohio attorney general to step down early was Democrat Marc Dann, who resigned in May 2008 after less than two years on the job. Yost's record in office included advocacy for Ohio's death penalty, state charges in the House Bill 6 bribery scandal, defense of abortion restrictions and a ban on gender-affirming care for minors, and action against two former board members of the teachers' pension system for violating fiduciary duties.
For Ohio voters, the immediate result is another appointment before the November election, with DeWine deciding who holds one of the state's most visible law enforcement posts until January.
