Columbus lawyer Constance Gadell-Newton announced today she will run for Ohio governor in 2018 as the Green Party candidate.

Vowing to stand up to the "corrupt two-party system," Gadell-Newton said she is "committed to promoting the well being of all Ohioans, no matter what happens in Washington, D.C." She also pledges to "stand up to keep families together in the face of recent changes in U.S. Immigration policy."

She is a co-chair of the Ohio Green Party and a law partner with perennial Green Party candidate Bob Fitrakis. She unsuccessfully ran last year for the Ohio House seat held by Columbus Democrat Kristin Boggs, receiving about 7 percent of the vote.

"There's a lot of momentum behind progressive politics," Gadell-Newton said. "I think people are willing to consider something new. People are tired of the same old things they are getting with the two-party system."

Gadell-Newton, 37, said she supports universal health care, free college education and a living wage and wage equality for women and minorities. She is a proponent of decriminalizing drug possession, saying addiction should be treated as a health condition rather than a criminal offense. She said she also will support steps to protect the environment and encourage the development of alternative energy sources.

She received a bachelor's degree in philosophy and women's studies from Ohio State University and her legal degree from Penn State University's Dickinson School of Law.

In her online biography, Gadell-Newton said she is an "avid cyclist and trapeze performer," plays both acoustic and electric guitar and is fluent in French.

Physician Jill Stein served as the Green Party's presidential candidate last year, receiving about 46,000 votes, or 0.8 percent, in Ohio.

Gadell-Newton said she will strive to obtain 3 percent or more in the 2018 election, the level needed to preserve the Green Party's status as a recognized party in Ohio.

rludlow@dispatch.com

@RandyLudlow