Acton Defeats Ramaswamy in Ohio After $100 Million Ad Campaign

Dr. Amy Acton claimed the Ohio governorship on Tuesday, defeating Vivek Ramaswamy in a race that saw more than $100 million spent against her candidacy. The result marks the first time a Democrat has won the seat in 20 years and makes Acton the first woman to hold the state's top executive post. She succeeds Republican Governor Mike DeWine, who is term-limited.

Acton, a 60-year-old public health physician and former state health director, campaigned on affordability and healthcare access. She appealed to working- and middle-class voters by citing her own background, including a childhood spent partly homeless and, for one winter, living in a tent. Ramaswamy, a biotech billionaire and former 2024 presidential candidate, ran as the choice of President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance. Both made repeated trips to the state in the final weeks to rally support for him and Republican Senator Jon Husted.

The campaign was defined by a controversial 60-second attack ad aired by Ramaswamy's team. The spot featured Acton's estranged mother, Donna Arthur, calling Acton a liar and urging voters to reject her candidate. The ad sparked national backlash because Arthur had lost custody of her children decades ago after her husband was indicted for raping Acton as a child. Trump and Vance defended the ad, with the president expressing envy that he had not run a similar spot against a rival. Five former Ohio governors and women's groups denounced the message as gutter politics. Ramaswamy removed the ad from circulation roughly one week before the election after spending about $1 million of the $4 million allocated for the buy.

Elon Musk contributed at least $5 million to a political action committee aligned with Ramaswamy. Despite this spending, Acton's team argued that Ramaswamy's wealth made him out of touch with voters dealing with high fuel prices and the cost of living. In the Republican primary, Casey Putsch, a vehicle designer and critic, captured nearly 18% of the vote with a $130,000 campaign. Putsch, who had directed veiled attacks at Ramaswamy, announced he would vote for Acton in the general election.

Acton took the stage to victory chants and shouted that the healing begins today. She pledged to lower the temperature of Ohio politics and not ignore any resident, regardless of who they supported. Ramaswamy told supporters at a watch party that he views the future with hope and reservations. He stated that he has serious concerns about the direction of the country but believes the nation will continue to find its way upward.

The defeat of Ramaswamy and Husted leaves Ohio Republicans looking to reconstitute their leadership. DeWine had appointed Husted to the Senate to clear the gubernatorial path for Ramaswamy. That move forced veteran Republican officials, including the attorney general and state treasurer, to adjust their own political plans. Husted lost his bid to retain Vance's former Senate seat on the same night.