Democrat John J. Kulewicz, an Upper Arlington City Council member and longtime lawyer, said he will run next year for attorney general.

“As the people’s lawyer, the attorney general should be part of the solution,” he said. “We have a choice to make next November. We can either have more of the same or an attorney general with a vigorous new approach.”

Kulewicz is the second Democrat to declare for attorney general.

Elliot Forhan of Brooklyn Heights, a former one-term state representative reprimanded and stripped of his committee assignments by his own party’s Ohio House, announced his candidacy for attorney general in February.

State Auditor Keith Faber, a Republican, also is running for the post next year.

The seat is held by Republican Dave Yost, who cannot seek reelection in 2026 because of the state’s term-limits law. Yost declared for governor and then withdrew, leaving his political future uncertain.

A Democrat last won a state executive branch race in Ohio in 2008.

Kulewicz said: “The challenges that Ohio faces are tough, but so are Ohioans. I’m no stranger to difficult fights. I will stand up to anyone who doesn’t put the rule of law and the best interests of our state’s families first. I’m ready to run and win so Ohioans have an attorney general who works for the people.”

Kulewicz was first elected in 2019 to the Upper Arlington City Council and was reelected in 2023.

Kulewicz retired last year as a partner in the Columbus-based law firm of Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease, and argued cases in front of the U.S. Supreme Court and the Ohio Supreme Court. He worked 44 years at the law firm with a focus on civil litigation and appeals.