COLUMBUS, Ohio — Attorney General Dave Yost has suspended his campaign for governor.
Yost made the announcement Friday afternoon, roughly one week after the Ohio Republican Party endorsed Cincinnati native Vivek Ramaswamy instead.
"This is a time to protect Ohio, not a time for a family squabble," Yost wrote in an email to his supporters. "I've spoken at length with many people whose advice and wisdom I respect, and haven't come to this decision quickly or easily."
Yost officially launched his gubernatorial run in January, when he described himself as “a principled conservative” and advocate for Ohio families, business and taxpayers and said he had worked to advance Trump's agenda at the state level.
WCPO's Tanya O'Rourke spoke with Yost after he announcement his plan to run for governor. The attorney general said he wanted to get rid of income tax in Ohio and also work on cutting spending. He also spoke about Ohio developing its own energy resources and setting a goal of universal literacy.
"We've got places in Ohio where kids are graduating that they're not literate," Yost said. "They can't show up for the job because they can't even read the standard operating procedures."
In his campaign suspension announcement, Yost said the fight to become Ohio's next governor was more than an uphill climb.
"It is also apparent that a steep climb to the nomination for governor has become a vertical cliff," wrote Yost. "I do not wish to divide my political party or my state with a quixotic battle over the small differences between my vision and that of my opponent. I am simply not that important."
