Tim Grady

Tim Grady (No Party Affiliation) is running for election for Governor of Ohio. He declared candidacy for the general election scheduled on November 3, 2026.

Grady completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Tim Grady was born in Mansfield, Ohio. He graduated from Lexington High School. He earned an associate degree from Stark State College in 2021 and a bachelor's degree from Ohio University in 2021. His career experience includes working as an anti-money laundering analyst, political organizer, political consultant, and campaign manager. He founded the Heartland Party and previously served as chair of the Ohio Forward Party.^[1]^[2]

Elections

2026

General election

The primary will occur on May 5, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. Additional general election candidates will be added here following the primary.

General election for Governor of Ohio

Tim Grady is running in the general election for Governor of Ohio on November 3, 2026.

		Candidate
		Tim Grady (No Party Affiliation)

	There are no incumbents in this race.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Governor of Ohio

Amy Acton is running in the Democratic primary for Governor of Ohio on May 5, 2026.

		Candidate
		Amy Acton

	There are no incumbents in this race.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Governor of Ohio

Heather Hill and Vivek Ramaswamy are running in the Republican primary for Governor of Ohio on May 5, 2026.

		Candidate
		Heather Hill
		Vivek Ramaswamy

	There are no incumbents in this race.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Robert Sprague (R)
Dave Yost (R)

Endorsements

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2024

General election

General election for Ohio House of Representatives District 76

Incumbent Marilyn John defeated Emily Adams and Tim Grady in the general election for Ohio House of Representatives District 76 on November 5, 2024.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Marilyn John (R)	71.9	40,352
	Emily Adams (D)	28.1	15,738
	Tim Grady (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	11

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 56,101
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Alomar Davenport (D)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Ohio House of Representatives District 76

Alomar Davenport advanced from the Democratic primary for Ohio House of Representatives District 76 on March 19, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Alomar Davenport	100.0	3,311

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 3,311
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Ohio House of Representatives District 76

Incumbent Marilyn John advanced from the Republican primary for Ohio House of Representatives District 76 on March 19, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Marilyn John	100.0	12,112

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 12,112
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Grady in this election.

2022

General election

General election for Governor of Ohio

The following candidates ran in the general election for Governor of Ohio on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Richard Michael DeWine (R)	62.4	2,580,424
		Nan Whaley (D)	37.4	1,545,489
		Marshall Usher (Independent) (Write-in)	0.2	8,082
		Tim Grady (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	574
		Renea Turner (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	231
	Submit photo	Craig Patton (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	77

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 4,134,877
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Niel Petersen (Independent)
F. Patrick Cunnane (Independent)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Governor of Ohio

Nan Whaley defeated John Cranley in the Democratic primary for Governor of Ohio on May 3, 2022.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Nan Whaley	65.0	331,014
	John Cranley	35.0	178,132

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 509,146
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Governor of Ohio

Incumbent Richard Michael DeWine defeated Jim Renacci, Joe Blystone, and Ron Hood in the Republican primary for Governor of Ohio on May 3, 2022.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Richard Michael DeWine	48.1	519,594
	Jim Renacci	28.0	302,494
	Joe Blystone	21.8	235,584
	Ron Hood	2.1	22,411

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,080,083
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Niel Petersen (R)

Campaign finance

2018

See also: Ohio House of Representatives elections, 2018

General election

General election for Ohio House of Representatives District 2

Incumbent Mark J. Romanchuk defeated Lane Winters and Tim Grady in the general election for Ohio House of Representatives District 2 on November 6, 2018.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Mark J. Romanchuk (R)	67.5	29,824
	Lane Winters (D)	30.1	13,317
	Tim Grady (L)	2.4	1,072

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 44,213
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Ohio House of Representatives District 2

Lane Winters advanced from the Democratic primary for Ohio House of Representatives District 2 on May 8, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Lane Winters	100.0	3,450

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 3,450
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Amanda Spear (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Ohio House of Representatives District 2

Incumbent Mark J. Romanchuk advanced from the Republican primary for Ohio House of Representatives District 2 on May 8, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Mark J. Romanchuk	100.0	9,090

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 9,090
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Campaign themes

2026

Ballotpedia survey responses

Tim Grady completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Grady's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I’m Timothy Grady. I have an AAS degree in Computer Science, a BS in Economics, and am completing my Master of Public Administration at the OSU Glenn College. I have worked as a political consultant, a political organizer, and in anti-money laundering. I have run for office a few times just for the opportunity to send a message and speak a little truth to power. I’ve also been involved in more serious political efforts, acting as campaign manager or volunteer for candidates. From November 2023 to January 2025 I was elected to the position of Chair of the Ohio Forward Party until my resignation over differing views with the National Forward Party and a sense that I could better serve the movement outside the party.

As a lifelong independent and Ohioan I have seen the failures, the incompetence, and corruption of the Democratic and Republican parties, I have seen the left behind Ohio, I have seen the hollowing out of our small cities and communities, I have seen the struggle of students, parents, families, and regular Ohioans; which calls me and calls all of us to stand up, to demand better, and to fight for our future.

I don’t like politics and I think many of the people in it are there for the wrong reasons. I engage in politics only reluctantly because I think things are bad and they could be better and I could do something to make them better and so feel obligated to try. I do like the opportunity to talk to people though. I think we should talk to each other more.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Integrity, which is our commitment to character and holding ourselves and others to a high standard of behavior, to honesty, and public service. Corruption is destroying us. When people get ahead not by merit and hard work, but through bribery and connections, it drains our energy, our determination, and our sense of civic duty. It creates a system where dishonesty thrives, where government serves the powerful instead of the people, and where the fabric of society unravels. Trust is what holds us together, and we must rebuild it. As a culture of corruption has spread, we have collectively lost faith in the institutions that made us great. Restoring trust and rooting our corruption is essential to our future success and must be a priority.
Freedom and our commitment to individual liberty, choice, and opportunity that this country was founded upon. Freedom means protecting our individual rights; freedom of speech, religion, assembly, expression, and privacy. It means the right to pursue happiness, make our own decisions, and learn from our own mistakes. Freedom keeps power in check. No one person or institution can control everything. When decisions are decentralized, ground-up, and made at the lowest practical level, we thrive. Freedom means free exchange and free markets. People, not bureaucracies, are the best judges of their own needs and desires. When people can act on their own judgment, work, trade, and collaborate voluntarily, they create innovation and prosperity.
Improvement is our commitment to building a better future and a stronger country for ourselves and for future generations. Improvement in the tradition of Henry Clay and Quincy Adams, both National Improvement and Self-Improvement. We invest in infrastructure, in what connects us, and in where we live. We invest in the future and in discovery, through the sciences and education. But the heart of this movement is inspiring us all to strive to be better. That’s the idea behind this country, that people will be free to pursue their dreams and rise above. That’s the power of democracy and liberty: the freedom to explore who we are and strive for more. We create the fabric of our nation by the lives we lead, not who we vote for.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I went into economics because it’s what I’m personally passionate about. I’m in politics because of my passion for economics. To put it simply: I think we’re doing public policy wrong and there’s a better way.

I saw what the financial crisis did to Mansfield when I was growing up. Understanding how that happened, what went wrong, and how places like Mansfield, these small industrial cities in the rustbelt, can thrive again, is what has guided my whole life.

What I discovered was Complexity Science and the insights it offers for economics and public policy. It looks at the world not as a physics equation but as a living evolutionary ecosystem. We need new ideas and perspectives like these.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

Fictional characters, characters from Star Trek mostly, Picard, Archer, Garak.

Alexander Hamilton, John Quincy Adams, Adam Smith.

I think the common thread here between all these characters and historical figures is a commitment to improvement. Both self-improvement and internal improvements of the state, this is especially true of Garak.

John Quincy Adams really felt that America was a place where we could seek to better ourselves and improve our community. That freedom and democracy is a responsibility to be the best people and the best country we can be. That connection between National improvement, building roads and bridges and such, and self-improvement, trying to gain skills, find gainful employment that contributes to our community and country, I think that's the synthesis we need to revive. It's very much in line with our unofficial motto, E Pluribus Unum, Out of Many, One. We are all what makes this country great, our strength together, from many different states and different peoples: one nation. Not the most effective president though. Hamilton did a lot with a good plan and was never even president.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

I would recommend The Origin of Wealth by Eric Beinhocker. It’s a dense read and I wouldn’t argue that it fully encapsulates my political philosophy, but it’s definitely the book that started me down this path and introduced me to the theories and science that inform my own approach to policy and economics.

I would also recommend Star Trek. Really good show. I think I'm heavily influenced by the philosophy presented in Star Trek: The Next Generation. Enterprise as well which is a good show that examines development coming out of a crisis like WW3. (Don't ask me how I'd handle Tuvix). It could certainly be said that much of what drives me is trying to achieve that improvement focused, world of prosperity and abundance that cares about scientific research and human progress that we see in Star Trek. I also hope to live to see the day humanity is an interstellar civilization.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Integrity, accountability, the ability to think and handle complex problems. It is not always necessary but I believe it is important in times of crisis like we are in now, that an elected official believe in something greater than themselves, having a clear vision and purpose for their time in elected office. It is also good to have commitment to principles such as Democracy, Freedom, and E Pluribus Unum.

Integrity is key and sorely lacking in Ohio. We need elected officials who can’t be bought or captured by special interests. We need elected officials who will speak honestly rather than out of both sides of their mouth. We need elected officials who will put the state, public service, and Ohioans above personal or political interests. If you elect someone without integrity, then you really don’t know who you’ve elected, you don’t know what they’ll do, what promises they’ll break.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

Integrity, misplaced sense of righteous indignation, the ability to synthesize disparate information sources into a coherent analysis of the obstacles ahead. Really all I want is to enable others to succeed, I hate wasted potential and we have so much wasted potential in this state. I'll do what it takes.

Also a commitment to American ideals like democracy, justice, and liberty as well as an appreciation of American history.

More than anything though, it's my determination. I'm always going to keep fighting for what I know is right and doing what I know needs to be done even if it falls to me alone. Everyone fails, everyone falls. What's important is that you get back up. My personal motto is: Undeterred.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Leadership, public service, fidelity to Ohio and its founding principles, and managerial competence.

Being the governor of Ohio is assuming responsibility for leading the state government as well as the people of Ohio. Living up to that responsibility is the greatest task of any governor.

The governor heads a large bureaucracy and has significant power in this respect. Managing well, appointing the right people, and building a culture that allows for communication, criticism, and problem solving is necessary and potentially far more impactful than some might assume.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I wish to transform Ohio into an economic and technological juggernaut. We should be a leader nationally and globally and we can be. The potential is there. We just need people with vision, commitment, and plan. We can be a comeback story for the whole country. We can have a Rustbelt Renaissance that leads the nation into the future.

Also, the complete shattering of the existing political dynamic. The parties are entrenched, opinions on politics and policy are dictated almost entirely by one’s identity associated with a particular party or political tribe. It’s totally unsustainable. I would like to be the one that helped take down the Democrats and Republicans and brought a thriving, competitive democracy to Ohio.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

9/11 attacks. I was five. It did not leave a remarkable impression. I recall stacking blocks and knocking them down. Again, I was five.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

Celestine by Spector

Governors have many responsibilities, which vary from state to state. Which of those do you personally consider the most important in your state?

The most important are the appointments the governor gets to make and their role in formulating and submitting a budget proposal to the legislature.

The governor does not run the government alone. Over the decades many committees and boards have been created which the governor nominates or appoints many or most of the members of. They have power in setting rules and standards and in distributing funds. Some of our most potentially impactful programs function in this way and fall ultimately to the governor. Finding good, qualified, passionate people to fill these positions is what the governor must do. So many otherwise good programs fail because governors historically view many of these positions as rewards for political backers rather than a serious responsibility.

The governor needs to appoint good people. We need a governor who won’t make appointments based on graft or corruption. If we’re going to reverse the corruption and capture of the state by special interests, electing an honest, incorruptible governor is where you start.

Different states require governors to have different degrees of responsibility for the state budgeting process. If it were your choice, what do you believe is the appropriate degree of gubernatorial involvement with this process in your state?

I’m comfortable with the governor’s current responsibility in the budgeting process. The governor really starts the process and anchors the budget with their budget proposal. It’s a solidly consultative process with opportunities to assess the departments of the state government, the state of the economy, and to consult with relevant stakeholders like local governments, universities, and businesses to make well informed recommendations. Primary responsibility ultimately is held by the legislature and the legislature in Ohio is notoriously corrupt. But the governor has some means to keep that abuse in check with veto power. This seems to be an appropriate role for the governor. The greater task is to ensure those elected to the governorship and the legislature will work to root out corruption and cannot be bought. Because no system is perfect, it falls to us, the voters, to keep the process fair.

In most states, governors have the power to make line-item vetoes. If that is true in your state, what would be your philosophy for how and when to use this power?

Sparingly and when appropriate.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and state legislature?

Mildly oppositional but generally constructive and cooperative. The legislature is and should be the driver of legislation with the governor acting in a more advisory role and then focused on implementing policy well. I think the implementation process, which is where many decisions are made, should also involve continuing input and consultation from the legislature. So while I feel their roles and relationships are defined, that it is always a partnership of sorts requiring cooperation. The governor should absolutely provide leadership and vision but it is the responsibility of the governor to build support for that vision within the legislature and for the legislature to at times temper that vision.

What do you love most about your state?

Its history and eclectic diversity. History matters. So much of our economy and society is path dependent, shaped and dictated by decisions made decades, even centuries in the past. We have to know the history of the state and our localities to make informed decisions on how to govern it, where to invest, and how to build on what’s there. I like to learn the little details and the broad strokes of how a place came to be. Today’s Ohio is shaped along its early trails, its canals, its railways. The early industries and innovations drive our modern economy. The Wright brothers working 100 years ago mean Wright-Patterson and surrounding area is an aerospace hub. The Toledo area, the Glass City, is now home to the largest manufacturer of solar panels in North America. We have a history of social movements, the second great awakening, abolitionism, temperance, the founding of public and private universities, waves of immigrants from across the country and across the world that settled different parts of Ohio and shaped it with their unique cultural contributions. History matters.

And history is also fun and trivial. The Cuyahoga on fire for instance (lots of rivers were burning back then!). Or Ohio’s multitude of astronauts including John Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth, and Neil Armstrong, the first human on the moon. Of course a firm foundation for establishing Ohio’s claims to space. Unfortunately we can’t decisively claim to be the home of the most presidents (we have to fight with Virginia over William Henry Harrison, if you think he’s worth fighting for), but we can claim to have the most presidents who died in office, that’s something. In fact, an Ohioan being elected president appears to have a 50% chance of dying in office.

What do you perceive to be your state's greatest challenges over the next decade?

The continuing demographic transition, corruption, and rebuilding Ohio’s economy to be competitive in the 21st century. These are ongoing concerns that have defined the previous few decades and are the same challenges much of the country and much of the world faces. Ohio has faced an extended crisis of governance that’s exacerbated these problems. Which ultimately means our greatest challenge is overcoming institutional advantages that protect the largely unaccountable Republican government and trivial Democratic party.

Ohio suffers from state capture, which is a term coined to describe the extreme level of corruption seen in post-Soviet states, if that tells you anything. Rooting out corruption and freeing the state from control by moneyed interests is a tremendous challenge and key to facing all our other challenges. It requires aggressive enforcement of the law, it requires rooting out the worst offenders and providing vital support to the honest people left in government. And it requires mobilizing the public to demand and fight for something better, to vote out bad politicians and parties, to hold the government accountable.

Ohio hasn’t made the necessary investments in infrastructure, in services, in education, in industry to retain young Ohioans and attract top global talent who otherwise seek opportunities elsewhere in the country. That makes it more difficult for us to maintain an aging population and to meet the state’s pension obligations.

Our smaller cities and villages have also suffered greatly from the decline and reorganization of industry and global trade and many communities are ill positioned for recovery. Small cities like Marion, Wooster, and Mansfield are often overlooked but I believe that not only can we do more to grow and redevelop these places but that they also are poised to be engines of innovation and dynamism for the state. We have the opportunity right now to turn our greatest challenges into our greatest strengths.

Tell us your favorite joke.

The duopoly

Under what circumstances should the governor of your state be able to use emergency powers?

In the event of an emergency and short of the state legislature or the judicial branch overruling said emergency declaration.

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

Transparency and accountability are top priorities for me. The lack of transparency and accountability is what has allowed Ohio to become one of the most corrupt states in the Union. More can be done to ensure knowledge of the spending and obligations of the government is not just publicly available, but available in formats that are easy to access, understand, and follow for Ohioans.

While my administration would seek to maximize transparency and create an open and accountable government; true accountability can only be achieved and is the responsibility of the voters. Accountability requires voters to punish politicians who act badly. In Ohio, even objectively criminal activity is not typically enough to cost a politician reelection so long as they belong to the right party. That’s unacceptable and is what creates this culture of corruption and unaccountability. For real accountability, we have to build a political system with real competition. That means independent redistricting, that means more access for independents to run for office, and that means seriously diminishing the power of money in politics. If we want a real accountable government we have to build a new political party that represents the people and can challenge Democrats and Republicans even in their partisan strongholds.

Do you support or oppose changes to the current state ballot initiative process? If so, what kind of changes would you consider?

I would be supportive of changes. The threshold for putting a question to the voters is far too high. As a result, the only things Ohioans get to vote on are the initiatives with deep-pocketed backing. If you lower the threshold of signatures to place a question on the ballot, you can generally trust Ohio voters to make the right call on election day.

And I do think that this process has resulted in a mess of a Constitution as the initiative process becomes the last resort after a dysfunctional state legislature refuses to act responsibly and responsively to the people. So along with greatly reducing the threshold to placing a question on the ballot, I would also consider it appropriate to increase the vote threshold to amend the state constitution to 60% approval.

A governor is the top executive authority in his or her state. What does that mean to you?

The elected executive authority typically constitutes two somewhat distinct roles as head of state and head of government. As head of government the governor takes on a managerial position, tasked with leading Ohio’s government with efficient operation of the bureaucracy and the provision of its services. As head of state the governor is the popularly chosen leader of the people, an overtly political position tasked with providing vision and voice for Ohio and being its representative to the country and the world.Both are vital to the well being of Ohio.

As head of government, I believe in an involved approach that fosters understanding of even the most basic operations of the government and ample communication while readily delegating to the most capable. Specialization, hierarchy, and open networks. I also believe strongly in the power of regular restructuring. Every 4-8 years we really need to examine the organization we’ve built and have some big shakeups. Review what works and what doesn’t and make reforms and improvements as necessary.

As head of state, I’m a proponent of a well articulated and optimistic vision for the future. This is where I think we fail most in our politics. Election campaigns are the perfect vehicles for providing goals and direction to our society at large, whether or not we win. With this campaign I aim to provide a vision of abundance, of industriousness and innovation, that inspires everyone to fulfill their potential, a vision where Ohio leads the future. I would continue building that vision in office.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

2024

Tim Grady completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Grady's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I'm just a simple man trying to make my way in the universe. Lifelong resident of Richland County, believer in the future of Ohio, realist, optimist, fervent evolutionary, pataphysicist, and serious person.

I have an Associate Degree in Computer Science from Stark State, a Bachelor's of Science in Economics from Ohio University, and I'm currently completing a Master's of Public Administration at Ohio State University. I have been a political consultant, an organizer for Rank The Vote Ohio, and most recently an anti-money laundering analyst. My passion is economics.

For my entire life I have been a political independent though I was the Libertarian nominee for state representative here in 2018 and have had managerial roles in Democratic campaigns, most recently the Mansfield mayoral race where I learned so much about the politics of corruption, apathy, and decay inflicting this city.

But for the first time, I have joined a political party. The Forward Party. The Forward Party is a new political party formed by former Democrats and Republicans and growing quickly across the country. Its aim is to create a better kind of party, to save our democracy, and get things done. It’s a party designed to be grassroots, to look at policy with a community focus first, to empower local leaders and civic engagement to solve problems.

It's not left or right, it's Forward. It's inspired me to run again and try and make things better here.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Restoration of American values - liberal (market) democracy, the rule of law, the spirit of self-improvement, liberty, and opportunity. These values have been eroded or are actively under attack. Certainly at least one candidate should defend them. I think there is a combination of ideals and values that make us distinctly American, that have made the United States a country that thrives and that millions of people flock to. These have to be preserved and nurtured. And these are absolutely under attack by bad actors or are being eroded by apathy, inequity, corruption, and partisanship. If we don't remember who we are and how we got here, we won't know how to move forward.
Fighting Corruption - We’re incredibly corrupt in Ohio and locally. There is the clearly criminal corruption like the Householder bribery scandal but corruption is not all criminal. Sometimes corruption is just the sense of obligation created by a significant campaign contribution, it’s conflicts of interest; it's the networks of politicians, influence peddlers, wealthy interests, and elites that run in the same circles and reinforce the same ideas amongst each other. It's not wrong, it's not criminal, but when you have a handful of wealthy and well-connected individuals or corporations calling the shots, you don’t have a democracy and you ignore all the knowledge and reason of everyone else. We can do better.
Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and a Robust Economy - The only thing that really raises the standard of living is productivity growth, being able to do more with less. And we want to raise the standard of living, we want people to live better, to lead better lives. I want to focus on fostering innovation through investments in education, in research and development, in entrepreneurship, and all the necessary infrastructure to bring people, ideas, and resources together. That's how you build an innovative, robust, and diversified economy. It really starts with investments in people and the places that bring us together.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Energy policy. Ohio has a role to play in the next energy revolution and I'm hoping we can take a leading role if we start investing now. Abundant, reliable energy is the basis for a vibrant economy.

This is a bit more broad but I'm very interested in economic policy. A lot of our economic policy is founded in some very dated and misguided ideas and most policy makers have a very poor understanding of economics. I'd like to change that. There should be more resources dedicated to economic policy development, developing useful tools of economic analysis for state and local policy makers. If we don't understand our economy, how can we improve it?

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

Fictional characters, characters from Star Trek mostly, Picard, Archer, Garak. Garak is great, DS9 is a really underappreciated series. I try to draw a lot of inspiration from Garak for my character. No supervillains come to mind, surprisingly.

Alexander Hamilton, John Quincy Adams, Adam Smith.

I think the common thread here between all these characters and historical figures is a commitment to improvement. Both self-improvement and internal improvements of the state, this is especially true of Garak.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

The Origin of Wealth by Eric Beinhocker.

The War on Normal People by Andrew Yang is a more accessible book that's also pretty good.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Integrity, accountability, the ability to think and handle complex problems.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

Integrity, misplaced sense of righteous indignation, the ability to synthesize disparate information sources into a coherent analysis of the obstacles ahead. Really all I want is to enable others to succeed, I hate wasted potential and we have so much wasted potential in this state. I'll do what it takes.

Oh, also a commitment to American ideals like democracy, justice, and liberty.

What legacy would you like to leave?

Just the complete shattering of the existing political dynamic. The parties are entrenched, opinions on politics and policy are dictated almost entirely by one’s identity associated with a particular party or political tribe. It’s totally unsustainable so we’ve got to shake it up, etch a sketch style.

But also really want to transform Ohio into an economic and technological juggernaut. We should be a leader nationally and globally and we can be. The potential is there. We just need people with vision, commitment, and plan.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

9/11 attacks. I was five. It did not leave a remarkable impression. I recall stacking blocks and knocking them down. Again, I was five.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

I'm Not Dead - Charly Bliss

What do you perceive to be your state's greatest challenges over the next decade?

The continuing demographic transition and rebuilding Ohio’s economy to be competitive in the 21st century. Both of these are ongoing concerns that have also very much defined the previous few decades and are the same challenges much of the country and much of the world faces. But for Ohio, I believe we’ve faced an extended crisis of governance that’s exacerbated these problems. Which ultimately means our greatest challenge is overcoming institutional advantages that protect the largely unaccountable Republican government (and eliminating the rather dull opposition that is the Democratic party).

Ohio hasn’t made the necessary investments in infrastructure, in services, in education, in industry to retain young Ohioans and attract top global talent who otherwise seek opportunities elsewhere in the country. That makes it more difficult for us to maintain an aging population and to meet the state’s pension obligations.

Our smaller cities and villages have also suffered greatly from the decline and reorganization of industry and global trade. I do believe the worst of the rust belt era is over but many communities are ill positioned for recovery and I’d really like to see something done about that. You know, statewide Columbus and Cincinnati might drive our statistics in a positive direction but it masks a lot of what happens in the rest of the state.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

No. The state legislature is a thinking body. It's role is to generate, explore, and debate ideas then refine them into something workable. To do that well you benefit from diverse perspectives and diverse backgrounds. I would prefer to see a mix of experiences and backgrounds that can provide insight onto real problems for the whole population. This is much better than having a bunch of lawyers, a bunch of career politicians who all started as staffers, and a bunch of business owners who decided to finance a run for the prestige making all the decisions for everyone.

Not to say you don't want some people with government and political experience in there, but you have 99 representatives and 33 senators, I think it should reflect the public at large a little more.

Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?

I'm barely interested in running for this office. I'm miserable in politics. I'm knowledgeable and enjoy trying to solve public policy problems, but being a politician? Not for me. But I do want to help other people run for different offices in the future. We need good people to run for office and if I can do it you can do it and you know what, I will help you! I have lots of experience in this. Run for something, serve your community, make this a better country.

Both sitting legislators and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

Most people I encounter think all politicians are corrupt, it doesn't matter if they vote, and also marijuana should be legal (we did it!). It's depressing but also more or less true. Most people have their own problems to deal with and politics isn't top of mind.

Do you support or oppose changes to the current state ballot initiative process? If so, what kind of changes would you consider?

I would raise the threshold for passage of amendments to the constitution, I don't think it's unreasonable to say it should require 60% approval to adopt an amendment. However, I would only support this if coupled with a drastic reduction in the requirements for putting an initiative on the ballot. The absurdly high requirements is what makes it so only initiatives backed by big money get to the ballot. Voters can make their own decisions at the polls. But if you have to collect a million signatures to get the chance to make that decision, that's just asking for corruption.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

2022

Tim Grady completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Grady's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

An all around negligible individual, I (Timothy Grady) am doing my best to act as the legal entity which meets Ohio’s definition of “qualified elector” through which the concept that is The Dark Horse can manifest onto the ballot in November. I have twice run for state representative in remarkably unmemorable campaigns and instigated the wonderfully disastrous 2020 campaign of Sam Grady which generated statewide condemnation.

A disdain for the Democrats and Republicans and the conviction that their sectarian politics are the root cause of so many of our most persistent problems has left me determined to completely supplant them in Ohio by 2030. The Dark Horse campaign may or may not be part of the plan to do so, keep’em guessing!

I run to demonstrate that anyone can. Above all, I believe politics should be fun, civil, and open to everyone. It’s okay to lose, I personally have lost over half a dozen elections and never once voted for a winning candidate and you don’t see me storming any buildings. Despite being an absolutely serious candidate, I try to enjoy myself, and I invite you to do the same.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Restoration of American values - liberal (market) democracy, the rule of law, the spirit of self-improvement, liberty, and opportunity. These values have been eroded or are actively under attack. Certainly at least one candidate should defend them.
Good Governance - metric driven, 21st century governance focused on efficiently delivering services and practical results. Making Ohio’s government accountable again through competitive elections and transparency.
Innovation and rapid, technology led reindustrialization. Ohio has the makings of an economic superpower. With the right drive and vision, we can dominate the world! I mean lead… we can lead the world.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Energy and finance, both have always caught my attention. Ohio has a role to play in the next energy revolution and I'm hoping we can take a leading role if we start investing now. Ohio makes a lot of solar panels for a state with very little solar coverage. We should leverage our existing capacity to fulfill the energy needs of the country and the world as a whole with both existing technologies and technologies yet to be developed/brought to market. Abundant, reliable energy is the basis for a vibrant economy.

As to finance, money as a technology is what really interests me. It's an amazing thing that allows us to coordinate with billions of people, most of whom we'll never meet, never know, people who live thousands of miles away. Strangely I'm not a big crypto-booster, the focus of the technology has so far been going in the wrong direction. Capital flows are also obviously incredibly significant for building a vibrant economy and much of my policy recommendations are about innovative government applications of finance. The global capital glut has, I think, lowered actual productive investment, there's laziness in capital markets. I believe Ohio can make small, targeted investments that utilize our existing strengths and will very quickly pay for itself while drawing in venture capital from around the world, redirecting capital flows into Ohio.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

Fictional characters, characters from Star Trek mostly, Picard, Archer, Garak. Garak is great, DS9 is a really underappreciated series. I try to draw a lot of inspiration from Garak for my character. No supervillains come to mind, surprisingly.

Alexander Hamilton, John Quincy Adams, Adam Smith.

I think the common thread here between all these characters and historical figures is a commitment to improvement. Both self-improvement and internal improvements of the state, this is especially true of Garak.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

Complex new world: Translating new economic thinking into public policy. That’s my go to Margaret Thatcher slamming the book on the table “This is what we believe” moment. Not exactly political philosophy but it encapsulates well my determination to take politics and governing in a very new, very different direction. It’s time to stop thinking about government, society, or the economy as big machines that just ask us to pull the right combination of levers, turn the right dials to get that perfect mix of policy that makes everything work just right. The world isn’t simple, nor is it complicated, it’s rather quite complex!

The economy and society is in constant flux, a dynamic and evolutionary system. Small changes can have large and unexpected consequences while what initially appear to be big changes can often leave you right where you started from. Being adaptable is the key. And that’s the real power and the real challenge of the executive.

The legislature is powerful and a couple of state constitutions ago it had basically all the power in Ohio. But the nature of legislating means it’s always a good deal away from where the rubber meets the road. There is a lot of room for interpretation in the actual implementation of legislation. And there has to be, because conditions change or were never what the legislators conceived them to be. Through trial and error we learn what works and what doesn’t, we tailor to the local situation. That’s not a bug, that’s a feature. And I’m not saying we should or can subvert the will of the legislature, I’m saying this is how it is and we need to legislate accordingly. Provide room for experimentation, start small and scale up what works. And be ready to admit when we get it wrong and have to reevaluate.

Any-hoo, Complex New World, it’s a good place to start.

What legacy would you like to leave?

Just the complete shattering of the existing political dynamic. The parties are entrenched, opinions on politics and policy are dictated almost entirely by one’s identity associated with a particular party or political tribe. People put absolutely no thought at all into what they believe (I get it, we all optimize our time). It’s totally unsustainable so we’ve got to shake it up, etch a sketch style.

We introduce a new element, a new politics that people have not been exposed to, full of new issues and new framing that people have not been able to get signals from their tribal elites on how to react to. Something totally outside the traditional spectrum. That’s what the Dark Horse represents, an entirely unpredictable element.

My greatest possible accomplishment would be a mass befuddling, total political pandemonium. No one will have any clue if they still hate their neighbor or their uncle or if cities or suburbs or rural areas are the typical home of their evil foe. Intergenerational political divides will collapse. Billions of data points collected building profiles on every voter, determining their politics will be rendered obsolete. Political prognosticators will be thrown into panic, desperate to find a new niche. People you once thought highly reasonable will have a Dark Horse sign in their yard, making Dark Horse puns (“Vote Neigh!”), and wear a top hat. Anything will be possible.

Let me put it this way, Ohio is a cat that’s stuck in a rut, badly needing to be shaken from its complacency, and I’m Confuse-A-Cat LTD.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

9/11 attacks. I was five. It did not leave a remarkable impression. I recall stacking blocks and knocking them down. Again, I was five.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

Tried and True (Raise the Roof) by Jeremy Neale

A governor is the top executive authority in his or her state. What does that mean do you?

The elected executive authority typically constitutes two somewhat distinct roles as head of state and head of government. As head of government the governor takes on a managerial position, tasked with leading Ohio’s government with efficient operation of the bureaucracy and the provision of its services. As head of state the governor is the popularly chosen leader of the people, an overtly political position tasked with providing vision and voice for Ohio and being its representative to the country and the world.

I cannot actually determine which is more important, both are vital to the well being of Ohio but being of a technocratic mindset I confess I have a preference for a well run and unobtrusive government over inspirational leadership, if I had to choose. Luckily I don’t because the Dark Horse is well provisioned for both roles.

As head of government, I believe in an involved approach that fosters understanding of even the most basic operations of the government and ample communication while readily delegating to the most capable. Specialization, hierarchy, and open networks. I also believe strongly in the power of a nice restructuring. Every 4-8 years we really need to examine the organization we’ve built and have some big shakeups. Incidentally elections come at ideal intervals for this.

As head of state, well I’m nuts for a well articulated and optimistic vision for the future. This is where I think we fail most in our politics. Finding out how to coordinate larger and larger groups of people is pretty much the entirety of human progress and history (with awesome and awful result!). Election campaigns are the perfect vehicles for providing goals and direction to our society at large, whether or not we win. With this campaign I aim to provide a vision of abundance, of industriousness and innovation, that inspires everyone to fulfill their potential, a vision where Ohio leads the future.

What do you love most about your state?

Its history, which is kind of a cop-out but so be it. History matters. So much of our economy and society is path dependent, shaped and dictated by decisions made decades, even centuries in the past. We have to know the history of the state and our localities to make informed decisions on how to govern it, where to invest, and how to build on what’s there. I like to learn the little details and the broad strokes of how a place came to be. Today’s Ohio is shaped along its early trails, its canals, its railways. The early industries and innovations drive our modern economy. The Wright brothers working 100 years ago mean Wright-Patterson and surrounding area is an aerospace hub. The Toledo area, the Glass City, is now home to the largest manufacturer of solar panels in North America. We have a history of social movements, the second great awakening, abolitionism, temperance, the founding of public and private universities, waves of immigrants from across the country and across the world that settled different parts of Ohio and shaped it with their unique cultural contributions. History matters.

And history is also fun and trivial. The Cuyahoga on fire for instance (lots of rivers were burning back then!). Or Ohio’s multitude of astronauts including John Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth, and Neil Armstrong, the first human on the moon. Of course a firm foundation for establishing Ohio’s claims to space. Unfortunately we can’t decisively claim to be the home of the most presidents (we have to fight with Virginia over William Henry Harrison, if you think he’s worth fighting for), but we can claim to have the most presidents who died in office, that’s something. In fact, an Ohioan being elected president appears to have a 50% chance of dying in office. Yeah, Ohio history is a blast.

What do you perceive to be your state's greatest challenges over the next decade?

The continuing demographic transition and rebuilding Ohio’s economy to be competitive in the 21st century. Both of these are ongoing concerns that have also very much defined the previous few decades and are the same challenges much of the country and much of the world faces. But for Ohio, I believe we’ve faced an extended crisis of governance that’s exacerbated these problems. Which ultimately means our greatest challenge is overcoming institutional advantages that protect the largely unaccountable Republican government (and eliminating the rather dull opposition that is the Democratic party).

Ohio hasn’t made the necessary investments in infrastructure, in services, in education, in industry to retain young Ohioans and attract top global talent who otherwise seek opportunities elsewhere in the country. That makes it more difficult for us to maintain an aging population and to meet the state’s pension obligations.

Our smaller cities and villages have also suffered greatly from the decline and reorganization of industry and global trade. I do believe the worst of the rust belt era is over but many communities are ill positioned for recovery and I’d really like to see something done about that. You know, statewide Columbus and Cincinnati might drive our statistics in a positive direction but it masks a lot of what happens in the rest of the state.

However, I believe one of our greatest challenges as a state will be peak corn. Tremendous amounts of Ohio farmland goes to growing corn and half of that goes to ethanol. Ethanol is on the way out, the economics of electric cars makes that a simple fact. Corn production is going to collapse and we need a plan because we can’t compete with higher yielding states like Iowa and Nebraska who will also have a corn glut.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Campaign finance summary

Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

Tim Grady campaign contribution history
Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2022	Governor of Ohio	Lost general	$265	$10
2018	Ohio House of Representatives District 2	Lost general	$0	N/A**
Grand total			$265	$10
Sources: OpenSecrets, Federal Elections Commission *This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

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Governor of Ohio

Footnotes

↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on October 19, 2024
↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on June 18, 2025

[1] Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on October 19, 2024

[2] Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on June 18, 2025

[1]

[2]

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Tim Grady

Biography

Elections

2026

General election

General election for Governor of Ohio

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Governor of Ohio

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Governor of Ohio

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Endorsements

2024

General election

General election for Ohio House of Representatives District 76

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Ohio House of Representatives District 76

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Ohio House of Representatives District 76

Endorsements

2022

General election

General election for Governor of Ohio

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Governor of Ohio

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Governor of Ohio

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Campaign finance

2018

General election

General election for Ohio House of Representatives District 2

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Ohio House of Representatives District 2

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Ohio House of Representatives District 2

Campaign themes

2026

Ballotpedia survey responses

2024

2022

Campaign finance summary

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