Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, right, and his wife Fran DeWine, toured Eagle's Christian Preschool & Child Care facility in Youngstown and after the tour the governor spoke with the media...by R. Michael Semple

YOUNGSTOWN – Gov. Mike DeWine is urging the Ohio Republican Partynot to endorse a gubernatorial candidate for the 2026 election at a state central committee meeting today, saying it’s too early and hinting he wants to leave the door open for Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel to run.

After a Thursday tour of Eagle’s Christian Preschool & Child Care, DeWine, a Republican, said of the potential endorsement today: “It’s just early. I mean it’s just very, very early. This would be an unprecedented endorsement being this early. This is an endorsement that is a year away from the primary, let alone from the general election. We don’t really know who’s going to be in this race yet for governor.”

He added about a personal endorsement: “I’m waiting because we just don’t know who all the candidates are going to be for governor.”

If the party’s state central committee endorses today, it would certainly back Vivek Ramaswamy, the wealthy biotech entrepreneur who has the endorsement of President Donald Trump and other prominent Republicans. Donald Trump Jr., the president’s son, urged the state party on X, formerly Twitter, to endorse Ramaswamy. Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose and Treasurer Robert Sprague wrote a joint letter doing the same.

Ramaswamy is seen as the front-runner in a race with Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost and Heather Hill of Morgan County.

An endorsement would need support from at least two-thirds of the Republican committee’s 66 members.

Tressel, a former Youngstown State University president and former head football coach at YSU and the Ohio State University, hasn’t ruled out running for governor next year and has spoken at a number of county Republican dinners.

DeWine acknowledged Thursday that he has had conversations with Tressel, whom he appointed as lieutenant governor about three months ago, but didn’t want to disclose details of those discussions.

“As everyone in the Mahoning Valley knows, Jim Tressel is his own person and he is someone who makes his own decisions,” DeWine said. “I’m not making that decision, and I’ll know when Jim tells me what he’s doing. But, obviously, I think very highly of him. I think he could serve exceedingly well as governor or I wouldn’t have appointed him as lieutenant governor. Whether he runs for governor or not, Jim is his own man, his own person.”

DeWine said of Tressel’s job as lieutenant governor, “He just exceeds any expectations I had and I had very, very high expectations.”

DeWine on Thursday toured Eagle’s Christian’s Youngstown location – it also has facilities in Warren and Lisbon – to tout two provisions in his state budget proposal.

One is to provide a $1,000 annual tax credit per child under 7 and the other is to increase the eligibility for vouchers under the Publicly Funded Child Care program from those at its current level of up to 145% of the federal poverty line.

“We have working families that, frankly, cannot afford day care,” DeWine said. “What is provided here (at Eagle’s Christian) is truly amazing; 99% of the kids here are on some subsidized state dollars.”

The Republican-controlled Ohio House already voted for a budget that excluded both of DeWine’s child care priorities.

DeWine wants to raise taxes on cigarettes and other tobacco products to pay for the tax credits. House Republicans have been adamant about not raising taxes. The tax credit would help 450,000 families.

DeWine said he hopes the state Senate, also controlled by his fellow Republicans, will agree with him and the House members will change their minds.

“Members of the Legislature will listen to parents,” DeWine said. “I think we need to frame this debate in this way: this is a family issue. I’m here to advocate.”

He added: “It’s a question of truly understanding what the needs of the state of Ohio are.”

DeWine said: “I’m very confident and optimistic because of the three previous budgets since I’ve been governor, we’ve gotten the real money that we need to invest in our people. This is about investing in our people. That’s what the future is about in the state of Ohio.”

The state budget has to be approved by June 30.