COLUMBUS, Ohio — The majority of Ohio Republican leaders have rallied around Cincinnati businessman Vivek Ramaswamy as the next governor, but Attorney General Dave Yost said it's the wrong choice.
"You have had a pretty big year, haven't you?" I said to Yost as we got seated in his Rhodes Tower office right outside the Ohio Statehouse.
"It has been a busy year," he responded.
Yost had his future planned out — launch his bid for governor, finish his term as the top cop, and then run the state.
"Did you ever think the race would look like how it does now?" I asked.
"No," he said. "Life and the future are unpredictable."
It was long expected that after Gov. Mike DeWine finished his term, Yost would run against former Lt. Gov. Jon Husted.
"That didn't work out, did it?" Yost said.
Instead, DeWine appointed Husted to the U.S. Senate after J.D. Vance got tapped for vice president.
Yost has been loyal to the party for decades, serving in both statewide and local roles. But in May, the Ohio Republican Party endorsed Ramaswamy, the political newcomer. Within days, the AG suspended his campaign.
In a one-on-one interview, he spoke about the loss.
"Do you feel that the GOP made the wrong decision?" I asked Yost.
"Yes," he responded.
He had spoken with members at length before the endorsement meeting, but they disagreed with him.
"How do you move on from that?" I asked.
"I'm still alive," he said.
Republicans told us they wanted someone fresh and new; also, Ramaswamy got the coveted endorsement from President Donald Trump.
Back in February, Yost told us that Ramaswamy wasn’t experienced enough to lead Ohio.
RELATED: Ohio AG Dave Yost isn't worried about competition in governor's race. Here's why.
"I have a proven track record," Yost told us nearly a year ago. "He's got a couple of books and some speeches."
Now, he and DeWine are some of the only party leaders who haven’t endorsed Ramaswamy.
RELATED: Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine not ready to endorse Vivek Ramaswamy
DeWine wanted the voters to choose the Republican nominee, not the party. Or, at least, he wanted the GOP to wait several more months instead of their very early endorsement process. Yost wasn't DeWine's choice, either, though. He first preferred Husted, then wanted his new lieutenant governor — Jim Tressel — to run.
"Is it bad for Ohio that there is really no primary?" I asked the governor on Friday during a one-on-one interview.
"It is what it is. I've been in politics a long time, and I've been in many races, and most of the time, many times, I had a contest in the primary. I usually did. That's sort of the norm, it would appear at least," DeWine responded. "And we haven't hit the filing deadline yet, maybe somebody comes out and runs, but it appears that we pretty much now know who the Republican nominee is going to be and who the Democratic nominee is. That's unusual."
The Democratic frontrunner is COVID-era health director Amy Acton, who worked closely with DeWine. Due to former Congressman Tim Ryan sitting out the race, she likely won't have a competitive primary.
Ramaswamy has previously told us that having a primary opponent may show division.
"We are more united as a Republican Party than we've ever been," Ramaswamy said in an interview earlier this year.
Although Ramaswamy was neither DeWine's nor Yost’s choice, both say they will end up supporting whoever the party's nominee is.
We asked Ramaswamy's team for comment, but didn't hear back.
"Do you think that the Republican Party will regret this decision?" I asked Yost.
"Well, I hope not... I think the statist approach to governance that Amy Acton represents, not to mention her lack of experience, is going to be detrimental to Ohio and Ohioans," he responded.
As for Yost? He is back to the drawing board.
"I am talking with other people who may or may not be people that I can work with in the future, and we'll just wait and see what happens," the AG said. "I've got a whole year."
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