With term limits forcing all statewide executive branch officeholders from their positions next year, Republican musical chairs continued with Secretary of State Frank LaRose announcing he would run for state auditor.

“A lot of people have asked me to consider this next step and well, you know I’m always someone who answers the call of duty,” LaRose said Thursday in a video announcement. “Certainly this is no exception.”

LaRose, a two-term secretary of state, cannot run for reelection in 2026 because of the state’s term-limits law.

LaRose said it has been an honor to be secretary of state and “as your next auditor of state, we can bring that same focus on transparency, efficiency and accountability to every government office in the state.”

LaRose finished last in a three-man Republican primary in 2024 for U.S. Senate.

It was reported in November that LaRose was interested in joining the administration of President Donald Trump as director of the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. But Jan. 15 reports state Trump was instead considering Sean Plankey for the job. Plankey served as principal deputy assistant secretary of the Energy Department’s Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security and Emergency Response during Trump’s first presidential term.

To date, the president hasn’t named anyone to lead the agency and the future of the agency, formed by Trump in 2018 during his first presidential administration, is uncertain.

Katie Seewer, Ohio Democratic Party spokeswoman, said: “Ohio voters have rejected LaRose over and over, but he hasn’t gotten the message they’re sending loud and clear. It’s obvious that LaRose doesn’t actually want the job.”

No Democrat has announced for state auditor.

Republicans have won every statewide executive branch race in Ohio since 2010.

Term limits impacted all of the state’s executive branch officeholders, all Republicans.

Under state law, a statewide executive branch officeholder can serve two consecutive four-year terms and then must step down for at least the next four-year term.

Gov. Mike DeWine said he isn’t going to run for another office after his term expires. Jon Husted, his former lieutenant governor who had eyed the gubernatorial seat for years, was recently appointed to the U.S. Senate to succeed Republican J.D. Vance, who resigned to become vice president.

Attorney General Dave Yost is running for governor and will face Vivek Ramaswamy, a biotech entrepreneur who appears to be the frontrunner though he hasn’t made an official announcement.

Treasurer Robert Sprague had planned to run for governor, but backed out Wednesday and announced he is running for secretary of state. Republican Niraj Antani, a former 10-year state legislator, is also running for secretary of state next year and state Sen. Theresa Gavarone, R-Bowling Green, is expected to seek the position.

Auditor Keith Faber said he will run next year for attorney general.