Democrat Amy Acton won the Ohio governor’s race, CBS News projects, defeating Vivek Ramaswamy in what had become an ugly race in an increasingly GOP state.
Ohio, once the perennial battleground state, has been trending more toward Republicans in recent years and President Trump won the state by 11 points in 2024. Republican Gov. Mike DeWine is prevented from running again due to term limits.
Acton, 60, is a native of Youngstown and led the state’s Department of Health during the COVID-19 pandemic under DeWine. She used her personal story, including experiencing homelessness as a child, to focus her campaign on affordability. Ramaswamy, a billionaire entrepreneur, is a native of Cincinnati and had focused his campaign on efficiency, using his business success as a model.
“It is time for a state house that puts Ohioans first, not special interests and corporations and billionaires,” Acton said in her victory speech Tuesday night. “I will be asking for courage because we must fight for something bigger than ourselves.”
“This win is for all of us,” she told the crowd. “It’s for all the scrappy kids who have been underestimated and overlooked or counted out. This is my promise to Ohio. No one will ever be unseen by me.”
This was the second campaign for Ramaswamy, 41, who ran for president in 2024 but dropped out after finishing fourth in the Iowa caucuses. He is a strong supporter of Mr. Trump’s, and had initially been tapped to co-lead the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, but left before Mr. Trump took office.
Ramaswamy had significantly outspent Acton as major Republicans had coalesced behind his national profile.
Millions of dollars poured in for negative ads, reaching its peak in October when Ramaswamy’s campaign launched a $4 million ad featuring Acton’s estranged mother calling her a liar. Acton’s stepfather had been charged with abusing her as a child, and she has not seen her mother in decades, since her mother and stepfather left town after a bond hearing.
Democrats swiftly condemned the ad, as did many Republicans, including DeWine and Sen. Jon Husted. But Mr. Trump said he supported it and Vice President JD Vance said he was “disgusted” by Republicans who were against the ad.
