David Pepper, a Democrat and fifth-generation Cincinnatian, is running for Ohio lieutenant governor in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election. He faces Republican Robert McColley and Libertarian James L. Mills, according to BallotReady election data.

The race is on the ballot for Hamilton County voters, including residents of Montgomery, Blue Ash and Sycamore Township.

Pepper has held elected office in Hamilton County and led the Ohio Democratic Party. On his campaign website, he says he would fight to lower costs for Ohio families across housing, healthcare, energy, child care, drug prices and property taxes.

Candidate information

  • Name: David Pepper
  • Party: Democratic
  • Race: Ohio lieutenant governor, 2026 general election
  • Election date: Nov. 3, 2026
  • Birthplace: Cincinnati, Ohio
  • Education: Bachelor's degree in history, Yale University (1993); law degree, Yale University (1999)

Experience and public service

Pepper served on Cincinnati City Council from 2001 to 2005, according to a Democrats Abroad profile. He was elected Hamilton County commissioner in 2007 and served as commission president in 2009, holding office through 2010.

He ran as the Democratic candidate for Ohio auditor of state in 2010 and for Ohio attorney general in 2014. He chaired the Ohio Democratic Party from 2015 to 2021, according to the Leadership Now Project.

He has not held statewide office.

Pepper clerked for Judge Nathaniel Jones on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in 1999. He practiced law at Squire Sanders & Dempsey starting in 2000 and later at Blank Rome LLP from 2011 to 2014. He has been an adjunct professor at the University of Cincinnati since 2012 and is a senior fellow at the Charles F. Kettering Foundation, according to a Compact25 speaker profile.

He authored two books on democracy: "Laboratories of Autocracy" (2021) and "Saving Democracy: A User's Manual for Every American" (2023).

On the issues

The following positions are stated on Pepper's campaign website. They reflect the candidate's own claims.

Healthcare: Pepper said he would fight cuts to Medicaid, which covers more than three million Ohioans, whether those cuts come from Columbus or Congress. He said he would work to reduce healthcare costs and ensure access to basic medical care statewide.

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 redirect savings toward students, teachers and proven practices.

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

Economy and cost of living: Pepper said he would combat high prices with creative solutions, transparency and bipartisan cooperation across housing, energy rates, child care and property taxes.

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

Endorsements

The following endorsements were claimed by the endorsing organizations, according to BallotReady profile data:

  • AFL-CIO
  • Hamilton County Democratic Party
  • Wood County Democratic Party
  • Delaware County Democrats

Editor's note: Pepper has not responded to the Montgomery-Blue Ash Courier's candidate questionnaire. This profile is based on publicly available sources. A Ballotpedia page for this candidate could not be located in available sources.