Ohio governor race 2026: Vivek Ramaswamy vs. Amy Acton

The basics

Ohioans vote Nov. 3 to replace Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican who is term limited. Ramaswamy faced minimal opposition in the May 5 Republican primary, and Acton ran unopposed for the Democratic nomination. Libertarian Don Kissick is also on the ballot. The two major party candidates have not debated: Ramaswamy accepted invitations from CNN and WLWT, and Acton declined, citing what her campaign called inaccurate and personal attacks in his ads, The Columbus Dispatch reported. The winner takes office Jan. 11, 2027.

The candidates

Vivek Ramaswamy (R) founded the biotech company Roivant Sciences and ran for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. He would be Ohio's first Indian American governor. He has been endorsed by the Ohio Fraternal Order of Police and the National Federation of Independent Business, and he put $25 million of his own money into the race, Fox News reported.

Amy Acton (D) is a physician who led the Ohio Department of Health early in the COVID-19 pandemic under DeWine. She would be Ohio's first elected woman governor. Former President Barack Obama campaigned with her in Cleveland.

Where the race stands

Most recent independent polls show Acton slightly ahead. Suffolk University (Oct. 21–26, 500 likely voters, ±4.4) had Acton 48%, Ramaswamy 44%. Marist (Oct. 15–18) had Acton 51%, Ramaswamy 43%. And Fox News (Oct. 15–19) had Acton 50%, Ramaswamy 48%. An Echelon Insights poll for the tech trade group NetChoice (Oct. 16–23, ±5.2) had Ramaswamy 47%, Acton 45%. STTPN's average of six recent independent polls is Acton 48.8%, Ramaswamy 45.8%.

Cook and Sabato's Crystal Ball rate the race Lean Democratic; Inside Elections rates it Tilt Democratic.

The issues

Taxes

Ramaswamy wants to eliminate Ohio's income tax and capital gains tax, starting in 2027, and roll property taxes back to prepandemic levels, which he says would return $4 billion to homeowners. Acton proposes a "working families' tax cut" with an earned income credit and child tax credits of up to $1,000, plus rebates of up to $1,000 when a household's property taxes rise more than 4% in a year. She says she is not planning a tax increase. Neither campaign has said firmly how it would pay for its plans, the Statehouse News Bureau reported. Fact-checkers have called inaccurate a Republican claim that Acton plans $21 billion in new spending.

Health care

Acton would use state money to buy and forgive medical debt, protect Medicaid from federal cuts and create an "Ohio Rx" program to lower drug prices. Ramaswamy backs price transparency and stepped up Medicaid fraud enforcement, Signal Cincinnati reported.

Energy and data centers

Ramaswamy would speed permits for power plants and has proposed that data center developers provide free electricity to their neighbors. Acton would require data centers to pay for their own power and grid upgrades and appoint utility regulators who "put ratepayers first." Both backed a gas tax holiday.

Controversies

In October, an ad featuring Acton's estranged mother, Donna Arthur, accused Acton of lying about her childhood. Ramaswamy's campaign confirmed it made the ad and said it would spend about $4 million to air it. Citing police and court records, the Associated Press reported that Acton's stepfather was charged in 1978 with raping her when she was 12 and that she and her brother were removed from the home. Sen. Jon Husted and Secretary of State Frank LaRose criticized the ad, and DeWine called for it to be pulled. President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance defended it. The Plain Dealer's editorial board broke its policy of not endorsing for governor to endorse Acton, citing the ad.

Acton's campaign has portrayed Ramaswamy as an out of touch multimillionaire. On Sept. 6, a man lunged at Acton at the Canfield Fair. He was arrested and charged with assault, WLWT reported.