Elliot Forhan

Elliot Forhan was born in Athens, Ohio. He graduated from Athens High School. Forhan earned a bachelor's degree from Kenyon College in 2008 and a J.D. from Yale Law School in 2013. Forhan's career experience includes working as a lawyer.[1][2]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a recent former member of the Ohio House of Representatives, a state representative. I beat in court once already Dave Yost's lawyers, and I'm suing him again right now, together with other powerful, corrupt Ohio politicians who abused their offices and the public trust. I will beat Dave Yost again.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Tax the rich.Stand up to bullies.Apply the law equally to everyone, including the rich and the powerful.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

(1) End corruption, including catching and prosecuting rich tax cheats, (2) enforce the guarantee under the Ohio constitution for full and equal funding for our public schools and (3) stop the illegal actions by Donald Trump, Elon Musk, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., the ICE agency and the rest of this out-of-control federal government.

The attorney general often sets policy priorities for law enforcement. For example, a state's attorney general may decide to dedicate extra resources to combat human trafficking. Are there certain areas of law enforcement that you would emphasize?

I would emphasize (1) ending corruption, including catching and prosecuting rich tax cheats, (2) enforcing the guarantee under the Ohio constitution for full and equal funding for our public schools and (3) stopping the illegal actions by the federal government.

Attorneys general can represent their states in legal conflicts with the federal government. Do you consider this an important part of an attorney general's responsibilities?

Representing the state in conflicts with the federal government is a very important part of an attorney general's responsibilities. I am campaigning to stop the illegal actions by the federal government.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for a state's attorney general to have previous experience in government or politics?

Yes. A state's attorney general should have experience in government or politics.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I look up to my moms. They raised a family in the 1980s and '90s as a gay couple, before same-sex marriage was legal or popular. They are my heroes.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Honesty. Energy. Tax the rich.

What legacy would you like to leave?

That I taxed the rich, stood up to bullies, enforced the law equally, defended the constitution and promoted freedom.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

1992 election of Bill Clinton, six years old.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

Paper route, six months.

What is your favorite book? Why?

Black Reconstruction in America: 1860–1880 by W. E. B. Du Bois. The magnum opus of the first Black person to earn a doctorate from Harvard University. When the book was published in 1935, it set the record straight on Reconstruction and upended the prevailing, anti-Black racist academic consensus view (the Dunning School) of the Reconstruction Era.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

Superman. I like the idea of working as a reporter. Plus the character was created in Ohio!

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

The current Ohio attorney general, Dave Yost, and the leader, Allison Russo, of the House caucus to which I belonged, defamed me in 2023. Their illegal acts damaged me professionally, personally and politically. I am suing them now to recover what I lost and to hold them accountable for their illegal conduct.

Do you support or oppose changes to the current state ballot initiative process? If so, what kind of changes would you consider?

I support eliminating the role of the Secretary of State in writing any ballot language.

Candidates hear many personal stories from voters. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching or memorable?

I met in Toledo with a group of farm laborers. Mostly Hispanic immigrants. They are terrified about what the ICE agency is doing to members of their community. They told me that they are afraid even to drive in their car to go to the grocery store, for fear that ICE agents might stop them and abduct them. If elected, I will prosecute ICE for their illegal, unconstitutional acts.

What is an accomplishment that you are proud of?

I introduced in 2024 the House version of the bill that became Ohio's new anti-SLAPP law, promoting free speech in our state. I am now representing a Cleveland journalist and using the new law to help her defend against a Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation (a "SLAPP").

What do you think was the most important SCOTUS decision made in the past decade?

Trump v. United States, the presidential immunity decision. It is terrible and should be overturned immediately.

Campaign websiteForhan's campaign website stated the following:Tax the Rich, Stand Up to BulliesOhio lawyer and former state representative Elliot Forhan is running for Ohio attorney general.

“The law is for everyone,” said Forhan. “It belongs to and protects all of us, and it should hold everyone accountable—including the rich and powerful. But that’s not what’s happening right now in our state or across the country.

“Dave Yost is running the A.G. office into the ground. He politicized and abused his position and looks the other way when his rich friends break the law. I beat Yost’s lawyers in court once already. Right now, I’m suing Yost and other corrupt officials to hold them accountable for misconduct and abusing state resources. I’m going to beat Dave Yost again.

“Meanwhile, Vivek Ramaswamy’s best friend, Elon Musk, is running riot through the federal government. Musk is damaging and destroying programs—like veterans’ affairs (the ‘V.A.’), cancer research, Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid—that keep us healthy, secure and free. Ramaswamy plans to do the same here in Ohio. As attorney general, I won’t let that happen.

“I’m running to apply the law equally to everyone, including the rich and powerful. That means (1) ending corruption, including catching and prosecuting rich tax cheats, (2) getting money out of politics and (3) fighting illegal actions by the federal government. I look forward to discussing on the campaign trail these issues and the other issues that matter to Ohio voters.”— Elliot Forhan's campaign website (April 14, 2026)Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.

Elliot Forhan did not complete [the profile publisher]'s 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am an attorney and a resident of South Euclid. I served in 2020 as a field organizer for the Biden presidential campaign, covering the East Side of Cuyahoga County, including House District 21. Before the presidential campaign I worked as a lawyer in the Cleveland office of BakerHostetler and at law firms in New York City. I graduated from Kenyon College in Central Ohio and obtained my law degree from Yale University.

After the 2020 presidential campaign, I spent the holidays in Georgia knocking doors for the Reverend Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff. I helped us win the Senate runoff elections and take control of the U.S. Senate, enact the American Rescue Plan and the bipartisan infrastructure law and confirm the nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court of Justice-Designate Ketanji Brown Jackson.

I worked for Governor Ted Strickland and for State Treasurer Richard Cordray. I testified in 2021 at public meetings of the state redistricting commission. My mother grew up in Lyndhurst, and my great-grandfather’s construction company built many of the houses on Edgefield Road and in other Hillcrest neighborhoods.

I maintain a law office in South Euclid as a solo practitioner, representing companies in commercial transactions and tenants in disputes with their landlords. I do volunteer work for the Cleveland Housing Organizing Project and the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland, and I am a co-founder and the general counsel of a nonprofit organization that focuses on patent law.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

I am running to make our communities stronger and fairer for everyone, where the rich pay their fair share and we lift up the middle class.I was a field organizer for Joe Biden's presidential campaign, and a few weeks after that election I drove down to Cobb County, Georgia, and spent the holidays knocking doors in support of the Reverend Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff, helping us win the Senate runoff elections and take control of the U.S. Senate.My top priorities are to (1) defend Roe and protect reproductive rights, (2) enact common-sense gun control and (3) focus on education.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I believe in building a stronger, fairer society for everyone. I am committed to building a community in new House District 21 where the rich pay their fair share and everyone can achieve the American dream. As state rep, I will focus on the following priorities to make those values a reality.

(1) Defend Roe, fight for Ohio women. I will fight for the rights and interests of Ohio’s women, including by protecting reproductive rights and choice and closing the pay gap.

(2) Enact common-sense gun control. I will fight to repeal the recent permitless-carry law, ban high-capacity assault weapons and ghost guns and enact background checks.

(3) Focus on education. I will fight to enact universal pre-K and free community college and trade schools.

(4) Support our seniors. I will help them age in place by increasing the state Homestead Exemption, eliminating taxes on 401(k) and pension income and enacting an Ohio renters’ tax credit.

(5) End gerrymandering. I will fight to stop GOP efforts to keep Democrats out of office.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I look up to and would like to follow the example of my parents. I was raised by two women. My parents are gay. I officiated their wedding ceremony in 2015, a few weeks after the announcement by the U.S. Supreme Court of its decision in Obergefell v. Hodges. This year they celebrated their 45th anniversary of committing to each other as life partners. How many people do you know who have celebrated a 45th anniversary? (And how many people do you know who officiated their parents' wedding ceremony?) They raised my sister and me on two main values: work hard and treat everyone with kindness. Those values, and their strength and love, have guided me throughout my life and continue to guide me and my campaign.

What process do you favor for redistricting?

Empower anyone other than elected officials to enact new district maps. For example: two independent mapmaking experts, one nominated by the Republican state legislators and the other nominated by the Democratic state legislators.

We must end partisan gerrymandering and stop the Republicans from preventing Democrats from holding elected office in Ohio.

Both sitting legislators and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

A voter in South Euclid, an older woman, told me that she used to work as a nurse in the '70s, before the ruling in Roe v. Wade. She remembers working in the emergency room and treating the women who would come in suffering after obtaining an unsafe abortion. We cannot go back to those days. I will fight to defend Roe and protect reproductive rights.

Many voters tell me that they are worried about crime and safety. They cannot believe that Ohio Governor DeWine signed into law the permitless-carry bill, and they are afraid about guns in our communities. I will fight to enact common-sense gun control, including repealing the permitless-carry law, banning high-capacity automatic weapons and ghost guns and enacting background checks.

Another voter told me about the amount of money that she has to pay each month, out of pocket, to treat her medical issues. Eight different prescriptions, one of which costs more than $1,000 per month. It's not acceptable. I will fight to cap the price of prescription drugs, such as insulin.