Kulewicz seeks Ohio attorney general seat as Democrat

John J. Kulewicz, a Columbus attorney and Upper Arlington city councilmember, is the Democratic nominee for Ohio attorney general. He faces Republican Keith Faber in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election.

Kulewicz won the Democratic primary on May 5, 2026, defeating former state Rep. Elliot Forhan with approximately 63% of the vote, according to the Ohio Capital Journal. Hamilton County voters, including Anderson Township residents, will see this race on their ballots.

Candidate information

Party: Democratic
Office sought: Ohio attorney general
Hometown: Columbus, Ohio. His parents and grandparents came from Martins Ferry and Cincinnati, according to his campaign website.
Education: Bachelor's degree in history from The Ohio State University (1976); juris doctor from Yale (1979), according to BallotReady. Kulewicz said on his campaign website that he was an editor of the Yale Law Journal.
Book: Kulewicz said he published An Ohioan's Odyssey: Lessons in Leadership, Law, and Public Service.

Experience and public service

Kulewicz served as a judicial clerk at the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit from 1979 to 1980, according to BallotReady. He then worked as an associate and later partner at the law firm Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease from 1981 to 2024.

He has served on the Upper Arlington City Council since 2020. Kulewicz said on his campaign website that in his two campaigns for that council, he was the leading vote-getter both times. He said his re-election total was the most votes any Upper Arlington City Council candidate received in a contested election since adoption of the city charter seven decades ago.

Kulewicz said he has served on the boards of the Columbus Zoo, Catholic Social Services, the Ohio Historical Society and the Ohio Bicentennial Commission. He also said he served as president of the Columbus chapter of the Federal Bar Association.

On the issues

Consumer protection: Kulewicz said he plans to combat price-fixing monopolies and take on predatory lending, price gouging, robocalls, Medicaid provider and nursing home fraud, and scam artists targeting vulnerable communities, according to the Ohio Capital Journal.

Reproductive rights: Planned Parenthood Advocates of Ohio endorsed Kulewicz, saying he would uphold the Reproductive Freedom Amendment in the courts and ensure access to care. The group said Kulewicz demonstrated a commitment to defending health care access, citing his involvement in the 2022 U.S. Supreme Court case Marietta Memorial Hospital Employee Health Benefit Plan v. DaVita Inc.