Democrat Amy Acton has defeated Republican businessman Vivek Ramaswamy in Ohio’s governor’s race, NBC News projects. Acton, 60, becomes the first woman elected to lead the state and the first Democrat to win its governorship since Ted Strickland in 2006. She will replace Republican Gov. Mike DeWine, who cannot seek another term because of term limits.
The result gives Democrats a victory in a state that has shifted firmly toward Republicans and supported Donald Trump by comfortable margins in three consecutive presidential elections. Ramaswamy, 41, had Trump’s endorsement, while leading strategists from Trump’s and Vice President JD Vance’s political teams advised his campaign and an allied super PAC. Neither candidate had previously held elected office.
Speaking to supporters in Columbus, Acton pledged to serve residents across political lines after the contentious campaign. “I will be a governor for all Ohioans,” she said. Ramaswamy, also addressing supporters in Columbus, acknowledged bitterness on both sides and expressed hope that Acton could unite the state’s voters and citizens.
Acton served as DeWine’s health director during the opening months of the Covid pandemic. Her election marks a milestone for women in Ohio politics, although she will not be the first woman to serve as governor. Former Lt. Gov. Nancy Hollister held the position for 11 days in 1999 after Republican George Voinovich left for the Senate.
The campaign’s closing weeks were dominated by an advertisement featuring Acton’s estranged mother, Donna Arthur, who accused her daughter of lying and urged voters to reject her. Ramaswamy’s campaign announced two weeks before Election Day that it would spend $4 million airing the ad. Acton has said she has had no contact with Arthur for nearly 50 years and has accused Arthur’s then-husband of sexually abusing her during childhood.
The advertisement omitted details of the abuse case and prompted condemnation across party lines, including from DeWine, over its use of painful family history. Ramaswamy declined to withdraw it or apologize. Appearing with former President Barack Obama at an Oct. 24 rally in Cleveland, Acton accused her opponent of exploiting her childhood to rescue his campaign. She also refused to debate Ramaswamy, whose unsuccessful 2024 presidential bid had put him in competition with Trump.
Ramaswamy campaigned on lowering property taxes and gradually eliminating Ohio’s income tax, investing substantial personal funds in his bid. An allied super PAC received millions of dollars from billionaires Elon Musk and Jeffrey Yass. Acton emphasized her upbringing in poverty in Youngstown and presented her work in a Republican administration as evidence of an ability to appeal across political divisions. She and Democratic allies criticized Ramaswamy’s private jet travel as voters faced high prices.
Republicans repeatedly targeted Acton’s involvement in pandemic school and business closures, although DeWine had final authority over those decisions. DeWine has called attacks on her pandemic service unfair. Her work as health director had made her widely known throughout Ohio and helped establish the public profile behind her gubernatorial campaign.
Acton also faced advertising over a 2019 police response to a dispute at her home. No criminal charges were filed. She described a verbal disagreement with her husband about her work hours. Republican ads highlighted a police report stating that she reported drinking and taking an unspecified amount of prescription medication. Her campaign said she was not intoxicated and had taken the medication regularly for years.
