COLUMBUS, Ohio (WOWO) — Ohio’s next governor could determine whether the state resumes executions in 2027, with the major candidates divided over capital punishment after years without an execution under Governor Mike DeWine.

Democratic candidate Amy Acton says she would continue the state’s execution moratorium, while Republican Vivek Ramaswamy says he intends to restart executions in cases involving the most serious crimes. Libertarian candidate Don Kissick and his running mate, James Mills, also oppose the death penalty.

Ohio has not executed an inmate since 2018. DeWine, who has overseen the state’s long-running pause, has increasingly criticized the system, saying it no longer serves its intended purpose and costs the state hundreds of millions of dollars.

“I no longer believe the death penalty is a deterrent to murder,” DeWine said in June, adding that the moral justification he once saw for capital punishment no longer exists.

DeWine has also pointed to the lengthy legal process for victims’ families and the fact that a dozen people sentenced to death in Ohio have been exonerated. He has urged lawmakers to enact a complete ban on capital punishment, but Republican leaders in the Ohio House have rejected that approach.

Acton said she would maintain the moratorium, citing problems with the death penalty system, including a botched execution in Tennessee in which an inmate reportedly survived two doses intended to be lethal. She said she supports life in prison without the possibility of parole for people convicted of heinous crimes.

Ramaswamy, speaking at a Columbus Metropolitan Club event last week, said he would resume executions in rare cases involving the most egregious crimes once the facts and legal circumstances had been fully established.

He also said Ohio should avoid the problems seen in Tennessee and consider other execution methods. Ramaswamy said any method used should be ethically appropriate, scientifically sound, effective and swift.

Mills said he opposes giving the government the power to make an irreversible decision about someone’s life, arguing that people can be held accountable for serious crimes without being executed.

The disagreement puts Ohio’s death penalty policy among the issues facing voters in the governor’s race, with the state’s next administration potentially deciding whether the current pause continues or executions resume.