For the first time in eight years, Ohioans will pick a new attorney general to act as the state’s top law enforcement officer and head of the largest public interest law firm in the state.
Republicans are expected to nominate Keith Faber, who has been state auditor since 2019. In the May primary, Democrats will pick either former state representative Elliot Forhan or retired Vorys partner John Kulewicz to be the party nominee for attorney general.
Attorney General Dave Yost cannot run for reelection due to term limits.
The attorney general represents state agencies, pension funds and public colleges and universities, investigates and prosecutes charity fraud and Medicaid fraud, and operates the peace officers’ training academy, state crime labs and the Bureau of Criminal Investigation. The attorney general can also join multi-state lawsuits on behalf of Ohio.
Early voting for the May 5 primary starts April 7.
Who is John Kulewicz?
Kulewicz, of Upper Arlington, earned his undergraduate degree from Ohio State University and law degree from Yale. He has been involved in local and statewide Democratic politics since the mid-1980s and is in his second term on the Upper Arlington City Council.
He retired in December 2024 after 43 years with Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease.
“I have far more experience as a lawyer in both the number of years and breadth of experience,” Kulewicz said when asked why voters should pick him over Forhan.
If elected, Kulewicz said he’ll focus on issues to help improve lives for Ohioans, including fighting monopolies, pushing utility regulators to protect consumers, and investigating nursing home fraud, wage theft and elder abuse.
Kulewicz said he’s running to give voters a choice between “more of the same” and aggressive action to protect Ohioans’ interests.
Kulewicz filed a complaint with the Ohio Inspector General over JobsOhio paying $60,000 for a podcast. He noted that Faber, Forhan and Yost had not done so.
Kulewicz said he would work to make sure public pension board members follow their fiduciary duties. While he said he followed Yost’s lawsuit to remove two men from the State Teachers Retirement System, he declined to comment on it since the case is being appealed. The next attorney general will likely inherit that appeal.
Kulewicz is an accomplished long-distance swimmer who led relay teams crossing the English Channel. “It’s a wonderful experience,” he said. “To swim the English Channel is like playing in the Super Bowl.”
His longest swim was 13.7 miles across the Straits of Gibraltar.
Who is Elliot Forhan?
Forhan lives in Brooklyn Heights but grew up in Athens County. He earned his undergraduate degree from Kenyon College and law degree from Yale.
He served one term in the Ohio House from 2023 to 2024, where he was accused of hostile and erratic behavior toward constituents, staff and his fellow representatives. He is suing former House Minority leader Allison Russo for defamation.
“I’m running to tax the rich, stand up to bullies and prosecute Donald Trump to the fullest extent of the law,” Forhan said. He said he wants to overturn the U.S. Supreme Court decision that grants wide presidential immunity for actions taken in office.
Forhan said he opposes how Yost has used the office to join lawsuits advancing conservative causes, such as efforts to ban gender-affirming care and block transgender Americans from using bathrooms that align with their gender.
Forhan offered no opinion on whether Yost’s lawsuit to remove two people from the State Teachers Retirement System board was an overreach. “I have heard a little bit about that case,” he said.
The attorney general was recently assigned prison inspection duties after lawmakers opted to eliminate the Correctional Institution Inspection Committee. Forhan criticized Faber’s move years ago to reduce CIIC staffing and linked that to the Christmas Day beating death of Corrections Officer Andrew Lansing.
If elected, Forhan pledged to file a lawsuit to force the state to provide full funding for K-12 schools.
State government report Laura Bischoff can be reached at lbischoff@usatodayco.com and @lbischoff on X.
Tell us what you think about the race for Ohio attorney general?
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Democrats clash in Ohio attorney general primary
Reporting by Laura A. Bischoff, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
