Democrat John Kulewicz Wins Ohio Attorney General Race

Democrat John Kulewicz won election as Ohio’s next attorney general on Tuesday, riding a wave of Democratic victories across the state.

Kulewicz, a 72-year-old Yale Law School graduate, defeated Republican Keith Faber by less than a percentage point, according to reporting from the Ohio Capital Journal.

The narrow victory comes as voters express a desire for systemic change following years of high-profile corruption scandals within the state government. Kulewicz told the Ohio Capital Journal in a phone interview that he believes voters are seeking to “correct things” by bringing in new leadership.

As the state’s top law enforcement officer, Kulewicz will oversee an office of 1,400 employees organized into 30 specialized sections, ranging from antitrust enforcement to workers’ compensation. He intends to pivot the office’s focus toward the economic stability of Ohioans, specifically targeting issues that impact individual paychecks and household budgets.

The cost of public corruption

For Kulewicz, the fight against corruption is not just a matter of legal integrity but a direct consumer issue. He argued that corruption is inherently “bad for the economy” because the public ultimately pays the price for the enrichment of special interests.

Democrat John Kulewicz says Keith Faber concedes in Ohio Attorney General race

The recent political shift in Ohio is heavily influenced by the fallout from the FirstEnergy bribery scandal. Between 2018 and 2020, the Akron-based utility paid $61 million in bribes to secure a Republican-led legislature that passed a $1.3 billion bailout for the company. The subsequent FBI investigation led to a 20-year prison sentence for former House Speaker Larry Householder, while two other implicated individuals died by suicide.

Kulewicz faces an immediate legal hurdle regarding this case. He must oversee a second state trial for FirstEnergy’s top executives after a previous proceeding ended in a hung jury. While his ability to comment on the active case is limited, he said he intends to use the office's investigative and subpoena powers to police sectors involving basic necessities, such as food and fuel.

The corruption narrative also extends to the Public Utility Commission of Ohio (PUCO). On December 18, 2018, Governor Mike DeWine and Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted met with FirstEnergy executives to discuss the potential chairmanship of Sam Randazzo. Following that meeting, executives negotiated a $4.3 million bribe to influence Randazzo, who later helped draft the corrupt bailout legislation before dying by suicide after being charged.

Kulewicz plans to utilize the attorney general’s standing to challenge utility rates and ensure the PUCO protects residential ratepayers. He noted two specific levers: appointing a Consumers’ Counsel board to name an effective Ohio Consumers’ Counsel and using the state’s status as a utility consumer to challenge rate fairness.

Scrutiny of Medicaid and antitrust enforcement

The incoming attorney general also intends to investigate the discrepancy between federal claims of Medicaid fraud and actual prosecution numbers. Following a Republican bill in July 2025 that slashed Medicaid spending, the Trump administration and some state officials began highlighting allegations of fraud in blue states. Kulewicz expressed skepticism regarding the scale of these claims.

“The compelling thing to me is that there are allegations of billions of dollars of Medicaid provider fraud, but the prosecutions only amount to millions of dollars. So there’s a big discrepancy. I want to find out why,” Kulewicz told the Ohio Capital Journal.

This investigation will run parallel to Kulewicz’s plans for the office’s Antitrust Division. He aims to build on the work of former AG Dave Yost, who in 2023 sued a major health conglomerate for allegedly driving up the cost of prescription drugs purchased by the state. Kulewicz intends to apply similar pressure to other sectors that impact the cost of living.

Critics of current politics often argue that the focus on Medicaid fraud is a strategic move to redirect voter anger away from healthcare cuts and rising costs. Kulewicz’s administration will likely serve as a primary battleground for these competing narratives regarding state spending and oversight.

Finally, Kulewicz has already signaled interest in reviewing the state’s economic development processes. During his campaign, he filed a complaint with the Ohio Inspector General regarding potential conflicts of interest at JobsOhio, a quasi-private agency. He noted that while the complaint “speaks for itself,” he intends to explore other alleged conflicts within state government to ensure transparency.

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