COLUMBUS (AP) — A former Ohio Supreme Court justice last week announced plans to run for a northeast Ohio congressional seat, while an Ohio State University graduate student said he’s making an independent bid for governor in 2026.

William O’Neill, a 78-year-old Democrat, said he is coming out of retirement because he can’t “sit idly by as my government falls apart.” He will challenge Republican U.S. Rep. David Joyce to represent Ohio’s 14th Congressional District.

“Reasonably priced health care is out of reach for a majority of Americans, armed thugs with masks masquerading as police officers are openly violating the U.S. Constitution, and environmental protection is a thing of the past,” O’Neill said in a statement provided to The Associated Press.

He said Joyce is “a nice guy” but he needs to answer for his votes in favor of President Donald Trump’s agenda and the actions of billionaire Elon Musk, who ran the president’s Department of Government Efficiency initiative.

The U.S. Army veteran, registered nurse and former appellate judge served on the Ohio Supreme Court from 2013 to 2018. O’Neill said that, counting his judicial runs and past bids for Congress, voters in the counties comprising the 14th District have delivered him to victory nine of 12 times.

Joyce, 68, is a former Geauga County prosecutor. He’s served in the House since 2013. His campaign didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment.

Meanwhile, Timothy Grady said he’s making an independent bid for governor in 2026, his second go at the office. The 28-year-old, who says he advocates “new economic thinking” and systemic political change, ran what he describes as a “largely satirical” write-in campaign in 2022. He earned the endorsement of performance artist and activist Vermin Supreme and finished fourth of six candidates with 574 votes.

This time, he’s entering a race that includes billionaire Vivek Ramaswamy, Appalachian entrepreneur Heather Hill and Democrat Amy Acton, 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 “still not the candidate Ohioans deserve,” but, “In the current field, I can confidently say I’m the best candidate for the job, because our toxic politics otherwise keeps good people out.”

A native of northern Ohio’s Richland County, Grady is working toward a master’s of public administration at OSU’s John Glenn College of Public Affairs. He recently chaired and led a reorganization of the Ohio chapter of the Forward Party.