A Republican state senator has thrown her hat in the ring to be the state’s next treasurer. The announcement from Sen. Kristina Roegner (R-Hudson) sets up a battle between two conservative Republicans, as it comes a day after a former lawmaker announced he was running for that post.
Roegner is a 14-year veteran of both chambers of the Ohio legislature, known for sponsoring legislation against abortion and gender affirming care for minors. This week Republicans on the Senate Higher Education Committee that she chairs passed Senate Bill 1, the conservative-backed bill that they say will strike back against "liberal indoctrination" on public university campuses.
In her news release, Roegner said, “Treasurer [Robert] Sprague has served as a model for what Ohioans should expect from our Treasurer. I aim to build on his success into the future.”
Roegner’s announcement comes less than 24 hours after Republican former lawmaker Niraj Antani said he was running for treasurer—a race that had no announced candidates at the time. Just days before, Antani bowed out of the race for secretary of state when Treasurer Robert Sprague said he'd run for that job. Sprague had been thought to be considering running for governor, but instead threw his support behind Vivek Ramaswamy, the tech billionaire and former presidential candidate who has yet to enter the race.
Antani had harsh words when he switched races, sharing on social media a photo of himself wearing a resigned look with the caption: "That feeling when the good ole boys club didn’t invite you to their game of musical chairs." He said in a statement that Ohioans are “tired of riding this merry go round within the insane asylum carnival of squishy establishment politicians.”
A day later when Roegner entered the race, he moderated his views somewhat and said: “I’m sure many candidates will declare for this race and I look forward to a robust conversation."
Antani ran for Congress last year, coming in tenth in a field of 11 candidate. Antani, who touts himself as a “pro-Trump conservative warrior,” though President Trump has not endorsed a candidate in this or any other race in 2026 in Ohio. Antani said as treasurer, he would make ensure the state is not funding ideologies in its investments, but didn't identify specific investments he would target.
All of Ohio’s top elected officials are term-limited. Attorney General Dave Yost has launched a campaign for governor in 2026. And Auditor Keith Faber has thrown his hat in the ring for attorney general.
