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Keith Faber on Nov. 4, 2018.
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Auditor Faber announces bid for state attorney general

THE BLADE

Auditor Faber announces bid for state attorney general

COLUMBUS — Keith Faber, Ohio’s top accountant, announced Monday his candidacy to become the state’s next top lawyer and law enforcement officer, a job he has had his eye on for years.

Auditor Faber, former state Senate president and state representative, hopes to replace Attorney General Dave Yost, who is running for governor in 2026, and keep the office in Republican hands.

“I love being state auditor,” he said in a video accompanying his announcement. “You’re catching people lying, stealing, and cheating government money, and you’re putting people in prison who are literally trying to take advantage of the public.

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“The attorney general’s office is just a bigger stage,” he said. “You get to do justice for Ohioans at a much bigger level.”

So far, no Democrat of other Republican has announced for the office. Republicans currently hold every statewide elected office with the exception of a single seat on the Ohio Supreme Court.

Mr. Faber, 59, of Celina, is in his second term as auditor, and he cannot seek a third. He is part of a Republican game of musical chairs taking place in Columbus as term-limited statewide officeholders look for a new place to land.

He served six years as state representative, then was appointed to a vacancy in the Senate, where he spent nearly a decade, including four years as powerful Senate president. He returned to the House of Representatives for a single two-year term in 2017 as he launched his campaign for auditor.

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He points to 219 convictions of fraud involving 247 separate charges on his watch and $20.7 million in findings for recovery from audits.

“I grew up in a house where my dad was a police officer,” he said. “I am a former probation officer. ... We need to give law enforcement all the support they can get. That’s important in rural areas where I live. They don’t have the resources of a county or a city crime lab or 15 prosecutors when cases get complicated.”

In some cases his office has worked investigations with the attorney general. He pointed specifically to recent cases involving theft at the Columbus Zoo.

Ohio has not put a condemned inmate to death since before Gov. Mike DeWine took office in 2019, in part because of drug manufacturers’ refusal to make their products available for use in executions.

Mr. Yost has championed a bill to allow for the use of nitrogen gas as a fallback plan. The bill has gone nowhere.

Mr. Faber said he supports the death penalty in “appropriate cases” and said he would push for carrying out Ohio’s ultimate punishment.

“I have jokingly said that fentanyl should be an option,” he said. “We have plenty of fentanyl and plenty of people who die. It doesn’t seem to be cruel. ... Nitrogen gas is one method.”

Mr. Faber pledges to work alongside President Trump on issues like border security and reduced bureaucracy. As a state legislator, he championed tax cuts with an emphasis on businesses.

Attorney general serves as state government’s lawyer, including when it comes to defending state laws against constitutional challenges. The office is currently in court defending abortion restrictions in light of the reproductive rights constitutional amendment adopted by voters.

The attorney general also oversees the crime lab at the Bureau of Criminal Investigation that assists local law enforcement.

Mr. Faber holds a bachelor’s degree in public administration and policy from Oakland University and earned his law degree in 1991 from Ohio State University.

In addition to Mr. Yost, Columbus-area billionaire and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy and Ohio Treasurer Robert Sprague are expected to be in the mix for the GOP nomination to replace Gov. Mike DeWine. Dr. Amy Acton, state health director under Mr. DeWine, is seeking the Democratic nomination.

Former state Sen. Niraj Antani (R., Miamisburg) has announced for secretary of state, and Sen. Theresa Gavaraone (R., Bowling Green) may follow.

Dr. Bryan Hambley, a Loveland hematology oncologist, is seeking the Democratic nomination for secretary of state.

First Published January 27, 2025, 5:17 p.m.

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