COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) 鈥� An Ohio State University master's student said Wednesday that he's making an independent .
This marks Timothy Grady's second go at the office. The 28-year-old who says he advocates 鈥渘ew economic thinking鈥� and systemic political change ran what he describes as a 鈥渓argely satirical鈥� write-in campaign in 2022. He earned the endorsement of performance artist and activist Vermin Supreme and finishing fourth of six candidates with 574 votes.
This time, he's entering a race that includes billionaire , who is backed by Trump and the state Republican Party, Appalachian entrepreneur , and Democrat , a former state health director who led Ohio through the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Grady said in a news release that he is 鈥渟till not the candidate Ohioans deserve,鈥� but, 鈥淚n the current field, I can confidently say I鈥檓 the best candidate for the job, because our toxic politics otherwise keeps good people out.鈥�
A native of northern Ohio's Richland County, Grady is working toward a master's of public administration at the university's John Glenn College of Public Affairs. He recently chaired and led a reorganization of the Ohio chapter of the Forward Party, a centrist political movement founded by .
Julie Carr Smyth, The Associated Press
