Democrat Dr. Amy Acton has won the race for governor of Ohio, defeating Republican Vivek Ramaswamy in a bitter contest that ended 16 years of Republican control of the state’s top office. ABC News and the Associated Press projected Acton the winner, and Fox News described the result as an upset. Donald Trump has carried Ohio in all three of his presidential runs.
Acton will become the first woman elected governor of Ohio and the state’s first Jewish governor. She is the first Democrat to win the post since Ted Strickland in 2006.
The results
According to results compiled by MultiState from AP data, Acton won 52.0% of the vote (about 2.35 million votes) to Ramaswamy’s 44.7% (about 2.02 million). Libertarian Don Kissick took 3.3%.
Pre-election polls had suggested a much tighter race, with most forecasters rating it a toss-up. On the same ballot, Democrat Sherrod Brown won back a US Senate seat, defeating Republican Senator Jon Husted by about 50% to 45%, according to ABC News.
Who is Amy Acton?
Acton is a physician who became nationally known as director of the Ohio Department of Health during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, when she appeared at daily briefings alongside Republican Governor Mike DeWine. Her running mate is David Pepper, a former chair of the Ohio Democratic Party.
Fox News reported that she focused her campaign on affordability and public education, and portrayed Ramaswamy, a billionaire biotech entrepreneur, as wealthy and out of touch. She also broke with many in her party by opposing policies that allow transgender women to compete in women’s sports.
Republicans attacked her record during the pandemic, including school and business closures and the delay of Ohio’s 2020 primary. DeWine defended her, saying “the buck stops with the governor.”
A campaign marked by a controversial ad
The race turned especially bitter in its final weeks. Ramaswamy’s campaign ran an advert featuring Acton’s estranged mother criticising her. Fox News reported that the ad did not mention that Acton had been estranged from her mother since childhood, or that her mother lost custody after Acton’s stepfather was charged with raping Acton when she was 12.
Governor DeWine, who still endorsed Ramaswamy, called the ad “deeply troubling” and urged that it be taken down. President Trump and Vice President JD Vance defended it. The ad was taken off the air a few days before election day.
Ramaswamy, who briefly helped lead the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) alongside Elon Musk, had a large fundraising advantage and faced no serious primary challenge.
The effects: what changes in Ohio
Ohio was long seen as a safe Republican state, and Trump won it by double digits in 2024. A Democratic governor, together with Brown’s Senate win, suggests that voters even in Trump-friendly states were unhappy with the cost of living and the tone of national politics.
Acton is likely to face a Republican-dominated legislature, which could limit her ability to pass major changes. However, as governor she will have veto power and control over state agencies, including health and education. DeWine had already criticised Ramaswamy’s plans to close or merge public universities and to push further tax cuts. Those plans are now off the table.
The result is also a personal setback for Ramaswamy, who was seen as a rising Republican star, and for Trump, who backed him. Ohio has a growing community of Nigerian and other African professionals, especially in Columbus, Cleveland and Cincinnati, many of whom work in health care. Acton’s background as a doctor and public health official may shape priorities for that sector.
What happens next
Acton is due to be inaugurated on January 11, 2027. She succeeds DeWine, who is barred by term limits from running again.
Sources: ABC News, Fox News, Associated Press (via MultiState), Axios, Wikipedia.
