Two Republicans face off in Ohio primary for state treasurer; What to know

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Two Republicans are competing for the chance to become Ohio’s next state treasurer, with the winner set to face a Democrat in November for an office that will have a new occupant regardless of the outcome.

State Sen. Kristina Roegner and former state Rep. Jay Edwards will go head-to-head in the May 5 Republican primary. The seat is open because incumbent Treasurer Robert Sprague is term-limited and is running for secretary of state.

The Republican nominee will face Seth Walsh, a Cincinnati City Council member, who is running unopposed on the Democratic side.

Ohio’s state treasurer essentially serves as the state’s banker, managing billions in state investments, collecting most of Ohio’s taxes and fees, and safeguarding state money.

With the primary days away, the Republican contest between Roegner and Edwards appears unsettled.

According to an April survey from Bowling Green State University, nearly two-thirds of voters — 65% — were still undecided in the Republican primary for treasurer. Among those who had made up their minds, the candidates were nearly tied, with Roegner at 18% and Edwards at 17%.

Roegner said that her wealth of experience in both the private sector and as a legislator for the past decade and a half has prepared her to take on the role of treasurer. Edwards did not participate in an interview.

Jay Edwards

Edwards, an Athens County resident, entered the race last spring. He attended Ohio University, where he played linebacker on the football team, and graduated with a degree in mathematics before moving into politics.

He flipped a Democratic-held Ohio House seat in 2016 and climbed the ranks to lead the powerful House Finance Committee in 2023 and 2024, a position that gave him significant power over state appropriations.

Edwards was a close ally of former House Speaker Larry Householder, a Perry County Republican currently serving a 20-year federal prison sentence for overseeing a $60 million bribery scheme to pass House Bill 6, a 2019 energy law.

Edwards’ name was brought up during Householder’s trial — including in testimony about a 2019 dinner he attended with Householder and two undercover FBI agents — but he was never accused of any wrongdoing.

Edwards has earned the endorsement of Vice President JD Vance, which he has highlighted in an ad.

Edwards did not return multiple requests for comment from cleveland.com/The Plain Dealer. His campaign website details his biography but does not list issues or policies.

Kristina Roegner

Roegner, a Hudson Republican, entered the race in February of last year. She has served in the General Assembly for the past 15 years, most recently in the state Senate, where she has represented Portage County and parts of Summit and Geauga counties since 2019.

Currently, she serves as chair of the General Government Committee, vice chair of the Ways and Means Committee, vice chair of the Higher Education Committee, and as a member of the Health Committee.

In recent years, Roegner said her focus as a legislator has been on occupational licensure reform — in other words, simplifying professional licenses and making it easier for licensed professionals to work across state lines.

She has sponsored bills that became law making it easier for physician assistants, dentists and hygienists, massage therapists, social workers and others to work in new states without having to start from scratch with licensing.

“So, I just want to make it easier for businesses and people to work, to do their thing, and to make Ohio strong,” Roegner said in an interview.

Prior to her time in the public sector, Roegner worked as a management consultant at McKinsey & Company, where she served global clients on performance and strategic issues.

Roegner said that her experience in the legislature, education in finance, and work in the financial industry “all triangulates beautifully to point to treasurer of state.”

Roegner said that undecided voters in the Republican primary should consider the candidates’ qualifications and choose a nominee who is “above reproach and has served with integrity and is not associated in any way with any scandal or corruption.”

Asked if she was alluding to Edwards’ association with Householder, Roegner said “that’s one of the examples, yes.”

Roegner also said that as treasurer, she would be best able to work with the General Assembly, having earned the endorsements of House Speaker Matt Huffman, Senate President and lieutenant governor candidate Rob McColley, and a supermajority of her colleagues in the Republican caucus.

The editorial board of The Plain Dealer and cleveland.com has endorsed Roegner in the Republican primary.

Seth Walsh

Walsh, a Cincinnati City Council member, launched his Democratic campaign in January 2026. He is the only Democrat in the race.

In an interview with cleveland.com/The Plain Dealer earlier this year, Walsh said that he’s running for treasurer because he feels that the office can do more with the $280 billion or so in state assets it manages to encourage development in Ohio communities.

“I would argue that, at this stage, the state treasurer’s office is being looked at exclusively as a number of a return and a percentage, as opposed to both a percentage return and the impact that it has on our communities,” Walsh said in January.

“I don’t think that the state treasurer’s office has had the leadership that has understood the ways that appropriate investment can be done and how you can influence good investment.

Before joining council, Walsh led the College Hill Urban Redevelopment Corporation, where he secured $85 million in economic development funding. He was first appointed to Cincinnati City Council in December 2022 and serves on the Cincinnati Retirement System Board of Trustees.

A Michigan native, Walsh graduated from Xavier University, where he served as student body president, before building his career in Cincinnati.