February 20, 2026
COLUMBUS – Vivek for Ohio Chief Strategist Jai Chabria released the following statement in response to Democrat Amy Acton’s selection of David Pepper as her running mate:
“Vivek’s choice of Rob McColley for lieutenant governor couldn’t be more different from Democrat Amy Acton’s selection of David Pepper—a perennial political loser who has consistently done more to help Republicans than Democrats in Ohio—and it’s just the latest example of no Democrat with any measurable political success wanting to run against Vivek.
“While McColley, a humble family man and well-respected conservative leader, has built a proven record advancing policies that benefit everyday Ohioans, nepo baby David Pepper was born on third base and somehow ended up on first.
“Ohio voters have repeatedly rejected David Pepper for political office, including for mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio auditor of state, and Ohio attorney general, where he managed to get just 38 percent of the vote.
“As the former Ohio Democratic Party chairman, Pepper’s ‘political machine’ lost every statewide constitutional office in 2018, and he oversaw President Trump’s landslide wins in 2016 and 2020.
“So we couldn’t be more thrilled to know Democrat ‘political mastermind’ David Pepper will be serving in a leadership role in Amy Acton’s campaign.”