Ohio Secretary of State election, 2026 (May 5 Democratic primary)

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2022
Ohio Secretary of State
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Democratic primary
Republican primary
General election
Election details
Filing deadline: February 4, 2026
Primary: May 5, 2026
General: November 3, 2026
How to vote
Poll times:

6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Voting in Ohio

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A Democratic Party primary takes place on May 5, 2026, in Ohio to determine which candidate will earn the right to run as the party's nominee in the state's secretary of state election on November 3, 2026.



This page focuses on Ohio's Democratic Party Secretary of State primary. For more in-depth information on Ohio's Republican Secretary of State primary and the general election, see the following pages:

Candidates and election results

Note: The following list includes official candidates only. Ballotpedia defines official candidates as people who:

  • Register with a federal or state campaign finance agency before the candidate filing deadline
  • Appear on candidate lists released by government election agencies

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Ohio Secretary of State

Bryan Hambley and Allison Russo are running in the Democratic primary for Ohio Secretary of State on May 5, 2026.


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Candidate profiles

This section includes candidate profiles that may be created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff may compile a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy. For more on how we select candidates to include, click here.

Image of Bryan Hambley

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Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography "I grew up on a small family farm in a tight-knit community where I saw the impact of people coming together. When I was a child, the state tried to shut down our public school. My town of 800 people got into their trucks, drove to the state capitol, and made their voices heard to save our school. My parents showed me democracy at its best: a community rallying to do together what no one could do alone. As a cancer doctor, I have helped hundreds of patients as part of a team of dedicated medical professionals. I am running for Secretary of State because caring for my patients and my community cannot end at the hospital door. When Ohio’s Secretary of State used misleading ballot language in 2024 to confuse voters and maintain unfair districts, I organized health care workers across the state to fight back. I took my children door to door to talk with neighbors about how gerrymandering leads to an unresponsive government and how unresponsive government means our voices are ignored. I learned Ohioans want a state government that works for all of us. My wife, best friend, and partner, Jana, is a trauma surgeon, and together we have two wonderful children– ages 5 and 7. We are teaching them the same commitment to democracy and to fighting for what is right that I learned from my parents."


Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.


Voters should choose their politicians. Yet, in Ohio, our politicians get to choose their voters. Ohio’s rigged system for drawing political districts lets politicians decide who they will represent–gifting them safe seats and unchallenged power. And making sure Ohioans are ignored by an unresponsive government. Our communities deserve to be heard in Columbus and in D.C. Our democracy needs fair competition to hold politicians accountable and give voters a real choice. As Secretary of State, I will fight for fair electoral maps. It’s time to take redistricting power out of the hands of politicians, and place it where it belongs— with citizens.


Ballot initiatives are true democracy: they let the voters decide what happens in Ohio.. Ohio’s Secretary of State has corrupted this process for political gain. Twice, he used misleading language to put his thumb on the scale to try to get his way, rather than respecting the preferences of Ohio citizens. No Secretary of State should use their authority to confuse voters to get the result they want. The Secretary of State’s job is clear: to make sure our ballot language is understandable and unmistakable. As Secretary of State, I will make the playing field fair by ensuring ballot initiative language is clear and correct.


In a democracy, voting is a sacred act. Therefore, the core duty of Ohio’s Secretary of State is to ensure every eligible voter in the state can vote, that each vote is counted, and that no one is allowed to interfere with that process. The current administration has repeatedly changed rules around who can drop off absentee ballots, even limiting the assistance caregivers can provide disabled Ohioans. Frank LaRose asked the state legislature to pass a law banning drop boxes altogether, adding more bureaucratic forms and red tape to a process which should be easy and secure for all Ohio citizens. We must ensure that every Ohioan entitled to vote can register and cast their ballot without unnecessary barriers.

Voting information

See also: Voting in Ohio

Ballotpedia will publish the dates and deadlines related to this election as they are made available.

Election analysis

This section will contain facts and figures related to this state's elections when those are available.

State profile

Demographic data for Ohio
 OhioU.S.
Total population:11,605,090316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):40,8613,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White:82.4%73.6%
Black/African American:12.2%12.6%
Asian:1.9%5.1%
Native American:0.2%0.8%
Pacific Islander:0%0.2%
Two or more:2.5%3%
Hispanic/Latino:3.4%17.1%
Education
High school graduation rate:89.1%86.7%
College graduation rate:26.1%29.8%
Income
Median household income:$49,429$53,889
Persons below poverty level:19.6%11.3%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015)
Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Ohio.
**Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

Presidential voting pattern

See also: Presidential voting trends in Ohio

Ohio voted Republican in five out of the seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.

Pivot Counties (2016)

Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, nine are located in Ohio, accounting for 4.37 percent of the total pivot counties.[1]

Pivot Counties (2020)

In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. Ohio had eight Retained Pivot Counties and one Boomerang Pivot County, accounting for 4.42 and 4.00 percent of all Retained and Boomerang Pivot Counties, respectively.

More Ohio coverage on Ballotpedia

See also

Ohio State Executive Elections News and Analysis
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Ohio State Executive Offices
Ohio State Legislature
Ohio Courts
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Partisan composition of governors

External links

Footnotes

  1. The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.