Amy Acton Declared Winner in Ohio Governor's Race, Ending 20-Year GOP Streak

Democrat Amy Acton won Ohio’s open race for governor, defeating Republican Vivek Ramaswamy and Libertarian Don Kissick in a result that, if confirmed, would give Democrats their first gubernatorial victory in the state since 2006.

Major news organizations, including The Associated Press, declared Acton the winner shortly after Election Night based on reported returns. Unofficial post-election totals showed Acton with 2,404,178 votes, or 52.31%, to 2,039,730 votes, or 44.38%, for Ramaswamy. Kissick received about 151,874 votes, or 3.30%. The totals remained unofficial Sunday as Ohio’s formal canvass and certification process continued.

The race was for an open seat because Republican Gov. Mike DeWine could not run again because of term limits. That set up one of the state’s highest-profile governor’s contests in years, with control of the governor’s office at stake in a state that had not elected a Democratic governor in two decades.

Acton is a physician and former director of the Ohio Department of Health, serving from February 2019 to June 2020. She became widely known across the state during Ohio’s early response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In campaign materials quoted by Ballotpedia, Acton said: “The cost of gas, health care, utilities; there's no more breathing room. As governor, I'll take on the corruption that's raising our costs, cut taxes for the middle class, and work with both parties to solve problems instead of making them.”

Ramaswamy is an entrepreneur and former 2024 Republican presidential candidate whose Ohio campaign drew national attention and was backed by Donald Trump. In campaign materials quoted by Ballotpedia, Ramaswamy said he wanted to “revive the American Dream in Ohio. ... That means bringing down costs, cutting red tape, reducing government waste, and expanding our energy supply. It means lowering taxes and fueling economic growth so families can buy homes, start businesses, and build their futures right here in our state – all while improving education for our kids.”

Ohio had not elected a Democratic governor since Ted Strickland won in 2006. If the result is certified as reported, Acton would become the first woman elected governor of Ohio. Nancy Hollister briefly served as governor in 1998 after succeeding to the office, but she was not elected governor. If certified as reported, Acton also would be Ohio’s first Jewish governor, according to local reporting cited in pre-election coverage.

The contest drew unusual national attention for a governor’s race because Ramaswamy’s national profile as a recent presidential candidate made Ohio one of the most closely watched gubernatorial battlegrounds of 2026.