Democrat Amy Acton Defeats Republican Vivek Ramaswamy in Ohio Governor's Race
Photo: ReasonDemocrat Amy Acton, Ohio's former health director, won the Ohio governor's race on Tuesday night, defeating Republican Vivek Ramaswamy, who was backed by President Trump, in the state's first Democratic gubernatorial win since 2006. Decision Desk called the race at 10:30 p.m., with Acton ahead 52.3% to 44.4%, and the Associated Press also called it for her. Acton becomes Ohio's first Jewish and first female governor. Ramaswamy, 41, a biotech entrepreneur who has never held public office, loaned his campaign more than $36 million. By late October, he and outside groups had spent $97.3 million on TV and radio ads, against $30 million on the Democratic side, according to Cleveland.com data. In the final weeks, a Ramaswamy ad featured Acton's estranged mother, Donna Arthur, calling her a liar. It left out that Arthur lost custody of her children after their stepfather was indicted for sexually abusing Acton from ages 9 to 12. Ramaswamy did not initially take credit for the ad. Ohio's previous Republican gubernatorial winner took the state by 25 points four years ago.
Left-leaning outlets Slate and HuffPost center on Ramaswamy's campaign. Slate's opinion piece calls the loss a humiliation, recalls Secretary of State Frank LaRose's prediction of a Republican wave, and describes a barrage of harsh TV ads. HuffPost's news report puts the mother ad in its headline and adds the abuse backstory and the spending gap. The right-leaning Daily Signal's brief excerpt instead stresses the historic firsts and the question of whether Ohio is red, purple or blue. It gives vote percentages but, in the portion available, omits the ad and the spending. All three agree Acton won and that it ended a roughly 20-year Republican run. Slate's "nearly 5 points" margin differs from the Daily Signal's 52.3% to 44.4%. Alternative outlets add separate angles: Semafor ties Ramaswamy's loss to Elon Musk's failed spending, and Reason scrutinizes Acton's pandemic record and policy promises.
How the sides differ Left sources focus on Ramaswamy's failed campaign and his attack ad; right sources stress the historic firsts and Ohio's shifting partisan status; alternative sources discuss money and Acton's policies.
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Slate and HuffPost lead with Ramaswamy's defeat and his attack ad on Acton's mother. They feature the spending gap and Acton's backstory, and Slate adds a sharply critical assessment of his campaign.
Semafor casts the result as a defeat for big money alongside Elon Musk's spending, with a reporter's account from Ramaswamy's election-night party. Reason reports Acton's win, then critiques her pandemic record and policy pledges.
The Daily Signal leads with Ohio electing its first Democratic governor in 20 years, and its first Jewish and female one. It gives the Decision Desk call and vote shares, and asks whether Ohio remains red.