Four weeks ago when I announced my exploratory run for Ohio Governor in 2026, the Establishment, the consultant class, and the media scoffed at such an early move pointing out that the DeWine-Husted ticket had just gotten re-elected and it was three years before the 2026 Republican primary. Those insiders dismissed my unorthodox move as "grossly premature." Well, what a difference four weeks make.
After the DeWine-Husted Administration tacked to address my agenda with their proposed budget, on Wednesday, Ohio Lt. Gov. Jon Husted announced he is running for governor in 2026 thereby joining me in the mix. My early, odd move now looks bold and prescient. After all, why would Husted announce “so early” given he just got reelected and it is three years until the primary? Though he and his team won’t ever admit it, Husted is worried about me and my agenda so felt he had to jump in to ensure the big donors don’t start backing my effort. As one insider noted, “Mayer could easily be the Republican candidate."
Husted should be worried. He already knows the Republican grassroots will be with me just like they were with his opponents in the 2022 Republican primary in which the incumbent, Uber-funded DeWine-Husted ticket didn’t even get 50% of the vote. He’ll need all the money he can get from corporations, lobbyists, and Establishment donors to overcome my grassroots support that is building each week. I wouldn’t be surprised if Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost and State Auditor Keith Faber joined the fray soon, as they now have to worry about Husted locking up the Establishment donors they, too, will need to compete with my grassroots army.
Contrary to conventional wisdom (I love bucking it:-), I urge you to checkout his campaign website at www.jonhusted.com. There is literally NO SUBSTANCE to it. Not one issue highlighted on what he’ll do to fix Ohio. Contrast his substance free website to my bold, innovative agenda detailed at www.ohiomatt.com. The problem Husted has today—which won’t change in three years—is that he can’t tell us what he’ll do differently to change the direction Ohio is headed because doing so indicts his own administration for not doing those things over the last four years. Did you know Ohio still has 64,000 jobs to add from the pandemic losses before it nets just one job, which will be the first net job since 2019? Husted can only stand for what he has done or failed to do—the status quo stale policies he has advocated for since he entered the Ohio House in 2001—policies that have:
left Ohio in the back of the pack on job growth;
resulted in losing over 40,000 people in the last two years;
hollowed out counties outside of Columbus and Cincinnati;
burdened Ohioans with among America’s highest total tax bill;
provided among the weakest school choice programs for Ohio’s kids;
grew government dependency on Medicaid;
saw record overdose deaths; and
instituted a severe and senseless COVID lockdown that devastated Ohio businesses and our kids.
Some record, huh?
By my estimate, since 2001 (excluding his government pay working for the Montgomery County Commission after college and his unethical corporate pay from Heartland Bank while Lt. Gov.), Husted will have banked nearly $3,000,000 from taxpayers by 2026, as well as had taxpayers cover all of his healthcare costs and given him a multi-million dollar gold-plated government pension. What did Ohio get in return? What did YOU get in return? Mediocrity and back-of-the-pack rankings as far as the eye can see.
For coverage of Husted’s announcement where my effort is mentioned as the first mover, see the Dispatch and the Cleveland Plain Dealer. You already can see how the media, too, is worried about me, as Andrew Tobias up in Cleveland refers to me as just a “policy researcher” who hasn’t ever held elected office—as if that is a bad thing;-) The left-leaning media just can’t get why being a career politician like Husted isn’t a positive selling point among Republican primary voters. They know a Democrat can’t win in Ohio, so do their best to back moderates like DeWine and Husted who won’t push an aggressive conservative agenda like I will. Keep it up, Andrew !!! (He is actually a decent guy other than his Premier League allegiance.) Nonetheless, as my bio details, I’ve done a bit more in my career than just policy research. Contrary to those who dismiss my research experience, however, that research is exactly why I am exploring a run given how the irrefutable data shows that most of Ohio is withering on the vine. Just wait until there is a debate—you’ll see me run circles around my opponents as they haven’t faced a tough media or a strong, articulate, knowledgeable, and battle-tested opponent with depth in their entire political careers.
For a fairly balanced take on the state of the governor's race with Husted in, read this editorial board piece, “GOP Politicians Ponder Their Futures,” in The Elyria and Lorain County Chronicle in which they write about Husted:
Being No. 2 doesn’t guarantee promotion to No. 1, however. History is full of vice presidents and lieutenant governors who never got a chance to serve as chief executive.
Husted is laying the groundwork for a run, but he still has to contend with a rightward shift in Republican politics. DeWine fended off three challengers from his right in last year’s Republican primary, but combined they garnered more votes than he did. DeWine went on to a blowout win over the Democratic gubernatorial nominee, former Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley.
Part of the reason DeWine crushed Whaley was because many Democrats approved of his handling of the pandemic. But his response to it was also part of the reason for the discontent in his own party.
Husted was deeply involved in DeWine’s response, something few conservatives are likely to forget. Recall that the crowd at a campaign rally for then-President Donald Trump heckled Husted in September 2020.
The reason? He had urged the crowd to wear Trump masks.
Masks and shutdowns that we knew then and know now based on the science and evidence were literally worthless.
Don’t forget, in 2016, Husted worked over-time to refute anything Donald Trump said about the election being rigged, including going on MSNBC where he was noted as “the loudest critic” of Trump’s claims and he stated “I don’t really think much of either candidate.” He told CNN that Trump was “irresponsible.” Coincidentally, on Monday, October 24, 2016, I was in the room with Husted at his office with European journalists I was hosting in Ohio where in response to the question on whether he thought Trump would win, Husted literally laughed out loud and scoffed at Trump, as he thought Trump stood no chance of beating Hillary Clinton. We now know thanks to many revelations about the Russia hoax, the Alfa Bank hoax, FBI malfeasance, and Mollie Hemingway’s excellent book, Rigged, that there was significant electoral misdeeds done in 2016 and 2020 by Democrats, the media, and their supporters to rig those elections, validating the fundamental thrust of Trump’s election concerns.
In other news, check out two pieces I put out this week:
Conservatives Must Fight for the 10th Amendment: East Palestine Shows, Lives Literally Depend On It
Marjorie Taylor Greene Is Just Wrong About a National Divorce
Glenn Beck ran the first piece in his national newsletter on Tuesday. Thanks, Glenn!
Listen to this week’s interview on the Bruce Hooley Show where I talk about East Palestine, Husted’s news, and Vivek Ramaswamy’s bid for The White House. I appear on Hooley’s show every Thursday at noon in Columbus (98.9 FM) and Dayton/Cincinnati (94.5FM) so tune it to hear me each week talk about the issues that actually matter to you.
Finally, see below for upcoming events if you want to come hear my speak. If you’d like to have me speak to your group, let me know. And, please share my agenda with as many fellow conservatives as you can. Thank you in advance for doing so.
Best,
Matt
P.S. As I state in my agenda, I’d love nothing more than if Husted spent the next three years pushing to enact right-to-work; to eliminate the state income tax; to replace term limits with a 20-year time limit; to cut the pay of the governor, lieutenant governor, and all legislators by 50% with a 100% bonus if Ohio enters the top ten in net percentage job growth (i.e., pay for performance); to achieve universal school choice for all Ohioans; to empower parents so our K-12 system focuses on teaching core skills, not wokeness; and to make Mexico and China pay for what they’ve done to Ohioans. If he did, I happily would remain outside of government and Ohio, its people, and its businesses would start to thrive. Unfortunately, after watching Husted for over two decades, we shouldn’t hold our breathes. As I said four weeks ago and will say without fail, if you like where Ohio is and think the status quo is what we need, then the musical chair men swapping statewide offices will gladly take your vote. I’m fundamentally and unequivocally about reform, renewal, and rocketing Ohio to the top of rankings.