Republican
Frank LaRose
Background and Bio
Frank LaRose grew up in Akron, Ohio, enlisting in the United States Army in the 101st Airborne Division and later serving as a U.S. Army Special Forces Green Beret, including a deployment to Iraq, where he earned a Bronze Star. Following military service, LaRose earned a bachelor’s degree in Consumer Affairs from the Ohio State University and worked in marketing and project management for his family’s beverage distribution firm and as part-time Economic Development Director for the City of Brecksville, before entering public office in 2011. After two terms in the Ohio Senate, LaRose was elected Ohio Secretary of State in 2018 and 2022. He lives in Upper Arlington with his wife, Lauren, and their three young daughters – Hadley, Ellie, and Lainey.
Policy Issue Summaries
- Government Waste, Fraud, and Corruption: According to the campaign, LaRose supports legislation making performance audits mandatory for local government entities whose per-capita spending falls significantly outside the established state average, with the state covering the audit’s upfront cost, repaid out of the entity’s resulting savings. His campaign says his approach is guided by "transparency, efficiency, and accountability,” and he has proposed implementing a program modeled on the federal Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in which he reviews the day-to-day operations of state and local government, not just their financials.
- Redistricting: LaRose has served on the Ohio Redistricting Commission as Secretary of State, voting for the commission’s 2021 and 2022 state legislative and congressional maps, which the Supreme Court ruled unconstitutional multiple times, and for the adopted 2023 Maps the court later declined to strike down. LaRose supported a 2023 ballot initiative to raise the threshold to pass a constitutional amendment to 60%, which voters rejected. He also supported 2022 and 2025 laws shortening - and ultimately eliminating - the grace period in which mail-in ballots could be accepted after election day.
Endorsements
- Associated Construction Trades Ohio (ACT Ohio)
- Buckeye Firearms Association
- Carpenters Local 285
- Central Midwest Carpenters
- International Brotherhood of Teamsters
- Ohio Chamber of Commerce PAC
- Ohio Fraternal Order of Police (FOP)
- Ohio Laborers District Council
- Ohio Right to Life
- Ohio Society of CPAs PAC
- Operating Engineers Local 66
Background and Bio
Frank LaRose grew up in Akron, Ohio, enlisting in the United States Army in the 101st Airborne Division and later serving as a U.S. Army Special Forces Green Beret, including a deployment to Iraq, where he earned a Bronze Star. Following military service, LaRose earned a bachelor’s degree in Consumer Affairs from the Ohio State University and worked in marketing and project management for his family’s beverage distribution firm and as part-time Economic Development Director for the City of Brecksville, before entering public office in 2011. After two terms in the Ohio Senate, LaRose was elected Ohio Secretary of State in 2018 and 2022. He lives in Upper Arlington with his wife, Lauren, and their three young daughters – Hadley, Ellie, and Lainey.
Policy Issue Summaries
- Government Waste, Fraud, and Corruption: According to the campaign, LaRose supports legislation making performance audits mandatory for local government entities whose per-capita spending falls significantly outside the established state average, with the state covering the audit’s upfront cost, repaid out of the entity’s resulting savings. His campaign says his approach is guided by "transparency, efficiency, and accountability,” and he has proposed implementing a program modeled on the federal Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in which he reviews the day-to-day operations of state and local government, not just their financials.
- Redistricting: LaRose has served on the Ohio Redistricting Commission as Secretary of State, voting for the commission’s 2021 and 2022 state legislative and congressional maps, which the Supreme Court ruled unconstitutional multiple times, and for the adopted 2023 Maps the court later declined to strike down. LaRose supported a 2023 ballot initiative to raise the threshold to pass a constitutional amendment to 60%, which voters rejected. He also supported 2022 and 2025 laws shortening - and ultimately eliminating - the grace period in which mail-in ballots could be accepted after election day.
Endorsements
- Associated Construction Trades Ohio (ACT Ohio)
- Buckeye Firearms Association
- Carpenters Local 285
- Central Midwest Carpenters
- International Brotherhood of Teamsters
- Ohio Chamber of Commerce PAC
- Ohio Fraternal Order of Police (FOP)
- Ohio Laborers District Council
- Ohio Right to Life
- Ohio Society of CPAs PAC
- Operating Engineers Local 66
Last Updated:2026-09-24
