Source: Politics<\/p>\n
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost has suspended his campaign for governor, clearing the field in the Republican primary for Vivek Ramaswamy.<\/p>\n
Yost told supporters Friday that he chose to end his campaign after concluding that his fight to win the Republican nomination had gone from a \u201csteep climb\u201d to a \u201cvertical cliff\u201d after the state party chose to support Ramaswamy.<\/p>\n
\u201cI do not wish to divide my political party or my state with a quixotic battle over the small differences between my vision and that of my opponent,\u201d Yost wrote in his message. \u201cI am simply not that important.\u201d<\/p>\n
Yost\u2019s step back from the race comes just one week after the Ohio Republican Party voted to back Ramaswamy as their candidate for governor<\/a>. Following that announcement, the attorney general\u2019s campaign team released a statement indicating he would decide after consulting with supporters.<\/p>\n His decision leaves Ramaswamy \u2014 the biotech entrepreneur turned presidential hopeful in 2024 \u2014 as the lone candidate in the Republican primary.<\/p>\n Ramaswamy had been a strong contender in the race even before the Ohio GOP\u2019s support and Yost\u2019s exit after securing an endorsement from President Donald Trump.<\/p>\n But the nomination isn\u2019t sealed for Ramaswamy just yet. The Republican primary is almost a year away, and he could face a challenge from Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel.<\/p>\n The lieutenant governor \u2014 a famed Ohio State football coach \u2014 has confirmed he\u2019s considering entering the race<\/a>, and he has a powerful ally in termed-out Gov. Mike DeWine, who elevated Tressel to lieutenant governor in February.<\/p>\n Yost will remain as attorney general through January 2027, and he left the door open for another political run in the future.<\/p>\n \u201cI will continue to fight for Ohio and Ohioans during that time\u2014and I suspect that this is not my final chapter,\u201d Yost said.<\/p>\n