Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost indicated Thursday that he will resign from office, telling families of fallen officers and other attendees at the annual peace officers memorial that “Today will be the last time I am here in this role.”
The surprise statement, reportedly delivered during the memorial service, comes eight months before the end of Yost’s second term. An official announcement of the resignation is expected imminently – a move that will require Gov. Mike DeWine to appoint a replacement for the state’s top law enforcement official.
Yost, a Republican, has served as attorney general since 2019 and was term-limited from seeking re-election in November. He briefly campaigned for governor in 2025 but suspended his bid after billionaire entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy entered the race with strong backing from President Donald Trump and the Ohio Republican Party. Ramaswamy won the GOP nomination in Tuesday’s primary.
The resignation creates the third vacancy in a statewide elected office in two years. DeWine previously appointed then-Lt. Gov. Jon Husted to the U.S. Senate after JD Vance became vice president and tapped former Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel to replace Husted as lieutenant governor.
Speculation has centered on whether DeWine might appoint Faber, currently the auditor and the GOP nominee for attorney general. Such a move could trigger a chain reaction: Secretary of State Frank LaRose is running for auditor, Treasurer Robert Sprague won the Republican primary for secretary of state, and former Rep. Jay Edwards won the GOP nomination for treasurer. A placeholder appointee uninterested in the November race remains another possibility.
Faber and Democratic nominee Columbus attorney John Kulewicz are set to face off in November for a full term beginning in January.
Yost began his political career in Delaware County, serving on city council, as auditor and as prosecutor. He was elected state auditor in 2010 and attorney general in 2018. As AG, he pursued high-profile cases including charges in the House Bill 6 bribery scandal involving former FirstEnergy executives and ex-House Speaker Larry Householder. He also defended Ohio’s abortion restrictions, challenged gun control measures in Columbus, sued over issues involving college athlete transfers, online pornography age verification, and prediction markets.
The last Ohio attorney general to resign early was Democrat Marc Dann in 2008.
Yost, 69, graduated from Ohio State University with a journalism degree and earned his law degree from Capital University. Before entering politics, he worked as a reporter and as press secretary to former Columbus Mayor Dana G. “Buck” Rinehart. He and his wife, Darlene, have three children and several grandchildren.
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Christina Botteri is the Executive Editor of The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow her on X at @christinakb.
Photo “Ohio A.G. Dave Yost” by Ohio A.G. Dave Yost.
