State Auditor Yost to run for Ohio attorney general

Staff report

COLUMBUS

Republican state Auditor Dave Yost announced Tuesday that he will run for attorney general, becoming the second statewide official to solidify his 2018 election intentions.

Yost initially pursued the AG post before running for state auditor seven years ago.

“As a former prosecutor and as your auditor of state, I have fought to find the truth and to bring forth justice,” Yost said in a statement Tuesday. “I will continue that fight as your attorney general – in the courts or in city hall, from the streets to the Statehouse.”

He added, “I feel as if I’ve prepared my whole life for this job. As your attorney general, I will never give up, and I will never give in. I will always fight for right.”

Yost served as the Delaware County prosecutor for eight years before being elected state auditor in 2010. He said in his statement his top priorities as attorney general would be fighting human trafficking and the opioid epidemic and supporting law enforcement officers. Yost’s campaign filed its annual financial report Tuesday, noting more than $1 million in cash on hand.

He joins Republican state Treasurer Josh Mandel among statewide officials who have formally announced their 2018 candidacies. Mandel will run for U.S. Senate against incumbent Democrat Sherrod Brown of Cleveland.