The Ohio Democratic Party will choose a new leader next week. And at least three candidates will be vying to replace Liz Walters, who has headed the party for the past four years. On June 10, 152 members of the Ohio Democratic Party’s executive committee will vote on who will succeed Walters.
Former Rep. Kathleen Clyde appears to be the likely candidate to replace Walters, who resigned last month to take a job with the national Democratic data group TargetSmart. Clyde won a key endorsement for her bid from former U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown. Clyde ran and lost her bid for secretary of state in 2018. She said she learned a lot from that experience, which has better prepared her for the role of party chair.
“I ran and outperformed the top of the ticket when I ran statewide for secretary of state in 2018. And I heard from a lot of voters about their different needs. I learned about developing a compelling message and breaking through a crowded ballot as a down-ballot candidate,” Clyde said in an interview. “Perhaps most importantly, in a way, for this office that I'm seeking, I broke a record for fundraising. I raised the most money, than any Democratic secretary of state candidate had ever raised. When I ran for secretary of state and being able to raise those resources, connect with donors in state and nationally is going to be critically important to have a well-funded Ohio Democratic Party.”
Stow City Council member Kyle Herman has experience working for former President Obama’s administration and later for the National Democratic Institute before coming back to his native Ohio in 2020. Herman, who has also advocated for ranked choice voting, said the party needs to speak to the needs of Ohioans in all 88 counties.
“I'm not part of the party insiders old boys’ club. I'm coming to this from the perspective of, I thought my career was going to be about advancing democracy in the Middle East. I was working on democracy programs in Iraq and Lebanon, raising millions of dollars in competitive grants to try to democratize those countries,” Herman said in an interview. “I realized after 2020 that we need to democratize Ohio as well—the level of tribalism and corruption and polarization that we have in our state. None of the issues we care about are going to get solved unless we fix democracy first. And I want to make sure that the Democratic Party leaders understand that and aren't trying to just treat this as another transactional coronation for who within their party is going to be in charge.”
Tamie Wilson, who ran unsuccessfully against western Ohio Republican U.S. Congressman Jim Jordan in the last two elections, is also running to succeed Walters.
But two candidates have dropped out of the race to replace Walters.
Sen. Bill DeMora (D-Columbus), who was the executive director of the party more than two decades ago, threw his hat in the ring early on but has since stepped out, saying he doesn’t have the votes. But he hasn’t endorsed another candidate. Greene County Democratic Party chair Kim McCarthy has also dropped out of the race.
Whoever wins the chairmanship will lead a party that hasn't won the governor's office since 2006. And the party's presence has dwindled to only one statewide elected office holder—Supreme Court Justice Jennifer Brunner, who is facing an unprecedented challenge from Republican Justice Pat Fischer in 2026. His term expires in 2028, and he can’t run again because he’d be 71 that year, and judicial candidates can’t be over 70. But if he wins the seat Brunner now occupies, he can stay on the court till the term ends in 2032.
All top statewide elected offices will be on the ballot in 2026. The Republicans who now hold those positions are term-limited, but have announced runs for other statewide offices. Auditor Keith Faber is running for attorney general, Secretary of State Frank LaRose is running for auditor and Treasurer Robert Sprague is running for secretary of state. Tech billionaire and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy is running for governor, with Attorney General Dave Yost suspending his gubernatorial campaign last month. So far, the only Democrats to jump into the 2026 races are former Ohio Department of Health director Dr. Amy Acton, who’s running for governor, and Cincinnati oncologist Dr. Bryan Hambley, who’s launched a campaign for secretary of state.
Republicans have won 83% of the 96 statewide elections in Ohio since 1994. President Donald Trump won the state by nearly 12 points in 2024, and won Ohio by eight points in 2016 and 2020. Ohio hasn’t had two Democratic U.S. Senators since 1995, but has two Republican U.S. Senators as of this year.
Republicans have held the majority in the Ohio House since 1995, except for the 128th General Assembly in 2009-2011. Democrats haven’t held the leadership of the Ohio Senate since 1985.
