Vice President JD Vance announced today on social media his endorsement of Jay Edwards for Ohio Treasurer of State. (The incumbent, Republican Robert Sprague, is term-limited and running for Secretary of State.)
Vance, the former Ohio Congressman and Yale Law School graduate, wrote of Edwards: “Jay and I are both sons of Appalachia. We know what it’s like to come from places the elites ignore — and we know the strength, pride, and values that built Ohio. Jay has never forgotten where he came from, and he’s spent his career standing up for Southeast Ohio and putting hardworking people first.”
Note: Edwards, who was born and raised in Nelsonville, Ohio — where the median income is $42,862 and the median home value is $100,553 — is a licensed realtor. According to his realtor bio, he has 14 years of experience as a realtor and “his family owns and operates several businesses in the area.”
Ohio needs leaders who will fight for working families and stand with President Trump’s America First agenda.
That’s why I’m proud to endorse my dear friend Jay Edwards for Ohio Treasurer of State.
Jay and I are both sons of Appalachia. We know what it’s like to come from…
— JD Vance (@JDVance) February 6, 2026
Edwards, who said President Trump inspired his run in 2017 for the Ohio House of Representatives, where he served until 2025 and left due to term limits, will face state Sen. Kristina Roegner and Lake County Treasurer Michael Zuren in the GOP primary on May 5.
Roegner, a graduate of Tufts and UPenn’s Wharton School of Business, worked at Westinghouse and McKinsey prior to becoming a politician. She received the endorsement of MAGA-aligned candidate Vivek Ramaswamy who’s running for governor. (Ramaswamy has the endorsement of President Trump.)
Thank you @VivekGRamaswamy for the trust you’ve placed in me to be Ohio’s next Treasurer of State! Let’s go win and do great things for Ohio! pic.twitter.com/ezjRfI0uby
— State Senator Kristina Roegner (@kristinaroegner) January 16, 2026
Note: On Wednesday, Republican former state Sen. Niraj Antani, who was also in the running for Ohio Treasurer, announced he suspended his campaign because Roegner “has self-funded her campaign with $1.5 million of personal funds. We have every reason to believe she will increase that amount of self-funding to whatever it takes to win and that she has the capability.” (Note: Antani doesn’t name Roegner in his announcement but she is the only female candidate in the race.)
Today, I am suspending my campaign for State Treasurer of Ohio for the 2026 election. I will not be a candidate for any office in the 2026 election.
As of last week, one of my opponents has self-funded her campaign with $1.5 million of personal funds. We have every reason to… pic.twitter.com/rcNEuoBDxi
— Niraj Antani (@NirajAntani) February 4, 2026
The Republican nominee will likely face Democrat Seth Walsh, a member of the Cincinnati City Council since 2022, who announced in January that he’s running. As of today, he is the only Democrat in the race. Walsh was formerly Executive Director of the College Hill Urban Redevelopment Corporation, and is the founder of the Cincy Soccer League.