Democrat Amy Acton Defeats Vivek Ramaswamy in Ohio Governor's Race

Democrat Amy Acton defeated Republican Vivek Ramaswamy in Ohio's governor's race on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, after the Associated Press called it at 9:49 p.m. With about 85-86 percent of votes counted, Acton had roughly 50.8 percent (2,078,290 votes) to Ramaswamy's 45.9 percent (1,876,035). Libertarian Don Kissick took 3.3 percent. Acton, a physician and former Ohio Department of Health director, succeeds term-limited Republican Gov. Mike DeWine and is the first Democrat elected governor in roughly two decades. Ramaswamy won the May primary with Donald Trump's endorsement, and Trump carried Ohio by about 11 points two years ago. About two weeks before the vote, his campaign released an ad in which Acton's estranged mother, Donna Arthur, called her a liar. The ad drew backlash, but Vice President JD Vance and Trump defended Ramaswamy. AP also called the Senate race for Democrat Sherrod Brown over incumbent John Husted.

Right-leaning outlets split. Breitbart leads with results: vote totals, the AP call time, Ramaswamy's Trump endorsement, the Brown Senate call and Acton's pandemic-era health role. The Daily Mail's headline says a controversial ad torpedoed the campaign, and it notes the ad left out that Arthur lost custody in 1978 after her stepfather was charged with raping Acton at 12. Left-leaning outlets are harsher on Ramaswamy. Slate's headline calls his career an embarrassment. The New Republic lists missteps, including being booed at a libertarian convention, a deleted batting-cage video and a convicted sex offender in an ad, and says doubling down on the ad sank him. The New Republic says 15 years since a Democratic win; others say about 20. Semafor alone frames the loss as a defeat for big money, and The Hindu centers on Indian-origin candidates.