David Pepper seeks Ohio lieutenant governor seat in 2026

David Pepper, a Democrat and fifth-generation Cincinnatian, is running for Ohio lieutenant governor in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election. Mason and Deerfield Township voters will see this race on their ballots.

Pepper faces Republican Robert McColley and Libertarian James L. Mills, according to BallotReady election data. He is certified for the ballot.

Candidate information

Office sought: Ohio lieutenant governor
Party: Democratic
Hometown: Cincinnati, Ohio
Education: Bachelor's degree in history, Yale University (1993); law degree, Yale University (1999)
Current role: Adjunct professor, University of Cincinnati (2012–present), per his BallotReady profile
Books: Laboratories of Autocracy: A Wake-Up Call from Behind the Lines (2021); Saving Democracy: A User's Manual for Every American (2023), according to Compact25 speaker details

Experience and public service

Pepper served on Cincinnati City Council from 2001 to 2005, according to Democrats Abroad. He then served as a Hamilton County commissioner from 2007 to 2010 and as commission president from 2009 to 2010.

He clerked for Judge Nathaniel Jones on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in 1999. He worked as an attorney at Squire Sanders & Dempsey starting in 2000 and later at Blank Rome LLP from 2011 to 2014, according to BallotReady records.

Pepper chaired the Ohio Democratic Party from 2015 to 2021, according to the Leadership Now Project. He ran as the Democratic candidate for Ohio auditor of state in 2010 and for Ohio attorney general in 2014. He is a senior fellow at the Charles F. Kettering Foundation.

On the issues

Pepper has outlined policy positions on his campaign website. The following statements are the candidate's own claims.

Education: Pepper said he would restore public school funding to a constitutional level and gain control of what he called an opaque private school voucher system with runaway costs. He said he would use savings to invest in students, teachers and proven best practices.

Healthcare: On his campaign website, Pepper said, "With more than three million Ohioans on Medicaid, I will fight against cuts to this life-saving program, whether they're coming from Columbus or Congress." He said he would work to reduce health care costs and ensure Ohioans do not have to drive hours for basic medical care.

Economy: Pepper said he would combat high prices on housing, energy, child care, drug prices and property taxes with what he described as creative solutions, transparency and bipartisan cooperation.

Public safety: Pepper said he would work to improve school safety, emergency relief, road safety and transparency in the criminal justice system.

Government reform: Pepper said he would push for more disclosure, campaign finance reform and open bidding and contracting processes to ensure decisions serve the public rather than private interests.