Democrat Amy Acton wins Ohio governor’s race — TIME

Democrat Amy Acton defeated Republican Vivek Ramaswamy in the election for governor of the U.S. state of Ohio. She will become the first Democrat elected governor by the state’s voters in two decades, TIME reports.

Course of the race

The race was open because incumbent Republican Governor Mike DeWine could not run again due to term limits. The Cook Political Report initially rated it as leaning Republican, then changed its assessment to a toss-up, and on October 23 gave Democrats a slight advantage.

Controversial advertisement

One factor in revising the assessment was a campaign advertisement released by Ramaswamy’s campaign in October. The video featured Acton’s estranged mother, who lost custody of her and her brother in 1978. That same year, their stepfather was charged with raping Acton when she was a child.

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The advertisement drew criticism from representatives of various political forces. Acton’s brother, Philip Stearns, called it an extremely low act. DeWine described the video as deeply disturbing and wrong and called on Ramaswamy’s campaign to withdraw it, while still maintaining his support for Ramaswamy and all Republican candidates.

Ramaswamy’s response

Ramaswamy did not disavow the advertisement after the criticism. U.S. President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance defended him. Ramaswamy previously unsuccessfully sought the Republican Party’s nomination in the 2024 presidential election.