Riedel announces Ohio Senate run

VW independent staff/submitted information

DEFIANCE — Former State Representative Craig Riedel made it official on Wednesday by announcing his candidacy for Ohio’s 1st State Senate district in the May 5, 2026 primary election.

“Our district needs an ‘America First’ champion who will build on the outstanding work of Senator Rob McColley,” Riedel said in a press release. “I have the backbone required to defend our northwest Ohio values, the private sector experience to jumpstart Ohio’s economy, and the vision to make Ohio the most conservative state in the country. We need to eliminate Ohio’s burdensome income tax, create a state-level Department of Government Efficiency (“DOGE”), and eradicate DEI from all our public institutions.”

The 1st District encompasses all or parts of 10 counties in northwest Ohio: all of Defiance, Fulton, Hancock, Hardin, Henry, Paulding, Putnam, Van Wert, and Williams Counties, and part of Logan County.

The incumbent, Senate President Rob McColley (R-Napoleon), is term-limited in 2026.

Reidel is a lifelong resident of northwest Ohio. He and his wife of 36 years, Danette, reside in Defiance. They have two children, Steve and Renee, and three granddaughters. Riedel served as State Representative for the 82nd Ohio House District for six years. Before that, he spent 27 years in the steel industry at Nucor Vulcraft Group.