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US Politics

Ohio votes for governor as Republican Ramaswamy faces Democrat Acton

Spending topped $100 million, and Ramaswamy's ad featuring Acton's estranged mother drew criticism from politicians across the country, AP reports.

3 news outlets reported this
Liberal1 outletActon, a physician, against Ramaswamy, a Trump allyCenter2 outletsa first-time-candidate race and a national ad flashpointConservative0 outletslittle coverage
Published 2 min read
Overview

Ohioans vote on Tuesday for a new governor. Republican Vivek Ramaswamy, a biotech billionaire endorsed by President Trump, faces Democrat Amy Acton, the former COVID-era state health director. The winner succeeds Republican Gov. Mike DeWine, who is term-limited.

Neither major candidate has held elective office. Polls close at 7:30 p.m. EST. According to the AP, spending in the race topped $100 million, with Ramaswamy and his allies bringing in and spending considerably more than Acton and the Democrats.

In the closing weeks, Ramaswamy aired an ad featuring Acton's estranged mother, Donna Arthur, who calls her daughter "a liar." The AP reports that Ramaswamy defended the ad as fair criticism of Acton's pattern of deception, and said Democrats and the media wrongly spun it. Politicians across the country condemned it.

Trump and Vice President JD Vance defended Ramaswamy, while DeWine denounced the ad and called for it to come down. Acton had a late surge in fundraising after the ad began running. If Acton wins, she would be Ohio's first woman governor and its first elected Democratic governor in two decades.

If Ramaswamy wins, he would be the first Indian-American in the seat.

Key figures
  • $100 million spending in the race, which AP calls unprecedented — The Seattle Times
  • 7:30 p.m. EST time polls close, per The Hill — The Hill

Three sides of the story

Liberal1 outlet

Acton, a physician, against Ramaswamy, a Trump ally

PBS NewsHour's live results page describes the Ohio governor's race as a contest between Democrat Amy Acton, a physician, and Vivek Ramaswamy, who it calls a former Republican presidential candidate and Trump ally.

Center2 outlets

a first-time-candidate race and a national ad flashpoint

The Seattle Times runs an AP report saying Ohio will have a new leader after Tuesday and that both candidates, Republican Ramaswamy and Democrat Acton, have no elective experience. It reports spending above $100 million and describes the ad featuring Acton's mother as a "national flashpoint." The report says Ramaswamy defended the spot as fair criticism of Acton's pattern of deception, and that he said Democrats and the media inaccurately spun it.

It quotes Donna Arthur calling her daughter "a liar," and notes that Trump and Vance defended Ramaswamy while DeWine denounced the ad. It then sets out each candidate's economic plans, from Ramaswamy's income tax phase-out to Acton's credits for middle- and lower-income residents, and says rural counties could decide the outcome. The Hill's live-results page frames the day around Democrats hoping to retake the governor's mansion for the first time in more than a decade.

It says polls close at 7:30 p.m. EST.

Conservative0 outlets

Outlets on this side gave the story little coverage.

All sources: 3 articles from 3 outlets

Liberal (1)

Center (2)

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