An influential conservative group has issued its first endorsement in the 2026 election cycle in Ohio, backing Auditor Keith Faber for attorney general. The Club for Growth is endorsing Faber, who is the only Republican in the race for AG so far.
“In Columbus, Faber has been a leading voice for fiscal transparency and school choice, and a staunch opponent of cronyism and waste. We are confident Faber will continue to lead by example," said Club for Growth PAC President David McIntosh in a statement.
Faber, a former Ohio Senate president, is running to replace Dave Yost, who had been running for governor. All five of the state's executive offices—attorney general, auditor, governor, secretary of state and treasurer—are open in 2026 because their occupants are term-limited.
This is the first action for the Club for Growth in the 2026 election cycle in Ohio since February. The Club for Growth PAC released a poll on Feb. 3 on the Republican governor's race showing Vivek Ramaswamy with 57% of the vote compared to 26% for Yost, the only announced Republican candidate at that point. The poll also showed 6% support for Treasurer Robert Sprague. The next day, Sprague announced he'd seek the secretary of state's office and would back Ramaswamy for governor. Ramaswamy officially launched his gubernatorial run on Feb. 24. Yost dropped out after Ramaswamy won the Ohio Republican Party's endorsement in May.
The Club for Growth is known for its anti-tax stance, for its support of vouchers and personal retirement accounts to replace Social Security, and its opposition to the Affordable Care Act and to tariffs. The group has also targeted moderate Republicans and candidates it doesn't consider conservative enough. While the Club for Growth has been at odds off-and-on with President Trump going back to 2016, the group said in a statement earlier this year that it's vowing to work with him on the mid-term elections.
Club for Growth PAC is affiliated with the nation’s largest conservative Super PAC, Club for Growth Action. One of its largest funders is Richard Uihlein, founder of the office supplies company Uline. Uihlein was a major financial backer of the 2023 effort to require 60% voter approval for constitutional amendments in Ohio, donating $4 million to the campaign. It failed 57%-43%.
The Club for Growth didn't back the winner in Ohio's 2022 GOP primary for U.S. Senate, supporting former treasurer Josh Mandel over JD Vance. But in 2024, the super PAC got behind businessman Bernie Moreno early in the three-way Republican primary for U.S. Senate over then-state Sen. Matt Dolan and Secretary of State Frank LaRose. The PAC put nearly $6.5 million in that race, in which Moreno won against three-term Democratic U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown. The Club for Growth PAC endorsed seven candidates for U.S. Senate last year; five won. Sam Brown of Nevada and Kari Lake of Arizona didn't.
Democratic former state rep Elliot Forhan announced his campaign for attorney general in February.
