Ohio Supreme Court Justice Pat Fischer, a Republican, said he will challenge his fellow justice, Democrat Jennifer Brunner, for her seat when it is on the ballot in 2026.

In a Wednesday statement, Fischer said: “I’m running to earn the support of the Ohio Republican Party State Central Committee and Republicans across Ohio, and I’m going to beat the sole remaining statewide Democrat on Election Day in 2026.”

Brunner said the differences between the two are “stark and obvious. Party affiliation should be our last concern as judges. It’s clear this is the primary aim in my colleague’s approach.”

Fischer said: “Ohioans deserve a justice who will fight for conservative values, respect the Constitution and not legislate from the bench. I have a record of this and look forward to once again earning the support of the Ohio Republican Party and all Ohioans.”

Four other Republicans are campaigning to take on Brunner. But should Fischer get the coveted Republican Party endorsement, which is probable, the others probably won’t challenge the two-term justice in the May 2026 GOP primary.

Fischer, 67, cannot run in the 2028 election, when his current term is on the ballot, because of the state’s age-limit law for judges. A judge in Ohio cannot run for office if they will be older than 70 when their terms are to begin.

If Fischer is elected, he would be able to serve an additional four years.

If that occurs, Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, would appoint Fischer’s successor for the remaining two years of that term.

Fischer told Brunner on May 14 that he was considering running against her.

Fischer was first elected in 2016 and reelected in 2022.

It would be the second time in a couple of years in which a sitting Republican justice challenged an incumbent Democratic justice.

In 2024, Republican Joseph T. Deters, who was appointed by DeWine to the court in December 2022, challenged and beat incumbent Democrat Melody Stewart.

The difference last year was Deters was appointed and chose to challenge Stewart rather than run for the two years remaining on the term of his existing position. Fischer is running in the middle of his term for a different seat.

Democrats had made gains on the Ohio Supreme Court with Stewart and Michael Donnelly winning seats in 2018 and Brunner in 2020.

But that was when Ohio Supreme Court justices ran without party affiliations in general elections.

With Republicans losing Ohio Supreme Court and courts of appeals races, the GOP-controlled Legislature passed a 2021 law, effective with the 2022 election, that candidates for those seats run with their political affiliation on the general election ballot.

Since then, Republicans have won all six Supreme Court elections, leaving Brunner as the lone Democrat. Among those Democrat defeats was Brunner losing in 2022 to Republican Sharon L. Kennedy for chief justice. Both ran from safe seats.