COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Over a year away from Ohio's 2026 elections for governor and Senate, leading candidates are already gathering union support.
Sen. Jon Husted and billionaire Vivek Ramaswamy, both Republican candidates for statewide office, endorsed one another this week, but candidates from both parties are seeking labor endorsements. Endorsements are coming in early for 2026 races, and some unions are leaning more conservatively than in years past, offering split tickets or full Republican support.
Ramaswamy has gathered more gubernatorial labor endorsements than his Democratic challenger, Dr. Amy Acton, while unions are slightly favoring Democrat Sherrod Brown in the race for Senate. Several unions that have historically supported Democrats have flipped their support. See previous coverage of early 2026 polling results in the video player above.
Meet Prometheus: World’s highest capacity data center slated to open in Ohio in 2026Members of the Northwest Ohio Building & Construction Trades Council joined Brown during his 2024 Senate race. However, the council of 22 local construction unions will back Ramaswamy and Husted in 2026.
The International Union of Operating Engineers Local 18 chapter, which represents engineers across Ohio, has also endorsed both Ramaswamy and Husted. This may be less surprising as the Local 18 has historically backed other Republican candidates.
Both the Central Midwest Regional Council of Carpenters and the Ohio State Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters split their endorsements, championing Brown for Senate but Ramaswamy for Governor. Both unions endorsed Tim Ryan for Senate in 2022, a Democrat who will decide whether or not to run for Governor against Ramaswamy by the end of the month.
"Democrats are abandoning their own party because it’s failed them time and time again," Jai Chabria, Ramaswamy's chief campaign strategist, said. "Vivek’s pro-growth vision offers the hope and opportunity which they know they can’t find on the left.
Ryan's 2022 campaign was also endorsed by the Ohio Conference of Teamsters, which has also endorsed Ramaswamy for 2026. The Teamsters represent the largest union in the U.S. and unites many smaller unions across Ohio. In 2024, the Teamsters endorsed Brown for Senate, but they have not made an endorsement in the 2026 Senate race.
Like Ramaswamy, Brown has nabbed endorsements from unions who have yet to comment on all races. Brown has gained support from at least seven major Ohio trade unions, including Bricklayers and Allied Craft Workers, United Food and Commercial Workers, and the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers.
‘It became unsustainable:’ Hot Chicken Takeover’s owner explains Columbus exit amid lawsuits over unpaid rentActon's campaign has met with labor leaders, and campaign manager Philip Stein said Acton will fight for unions. Acton, who led the state's fight against COVID-19, has Nurses for America's endorsement.
Acton has also received several thousand dollars in financial support from unions like the Ohio Civil Service Employees Association (OCSEA), United Steel Workers District 1, which covers Ohio and Michigan.
"As someone who raised her family in a union household, Amy understands how critical organized labor is to ensuring working families in Ohio can afford to live their lives with a little breathing room," Stein said. "While Vivek Ramaswamy regularly attacks labor with calls for the elimination of teachers' unions and federal unions, Amy is proud of the support she has received from the labor community and will always fight for unions and all Ohio workers."
Acton has also received more than 150 current and former elected officials, including former Gov. Dick Celeste. Ramaswamy and Husted both been endorsed by the Ohio Republican Party and President Donald Trump. Current Gov. Mike DeWine has not endorsed a successor.
Many major Ohio unions have yet to endorse candidates, including AFL-CIO, the state's largest union with 600,000 members across trades. AFL-CIO has not yet endorsed any candidate, but celebrated Acton's comments over Ramaswamy's when asked about supporting unions on social media.
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