Democrat Amy Acton beat Republican Vivek Ramaswamy for Ohio governor on Tuesday. The Associated Press called the race shortly before 11 p.m. ET. NBC News had Acton at 52.3% and Ramaswamy at 44.4% as of 6:26 p.m. ET Wednesday. That was with 98% of the expected vote counted. Acton is the first Democrat elected governor of Ohio since 2006 and the first woman ever elected to the job. She ran the state health department during COVID-19 and has never held elected office. Ramaswamy is a biotech billionaire. President Donald Trump endorsed him. He and his allies spent more than $100 million against her. Trump won Ohio by 11 points in 2024. Ramaswamy conceded Tuesday night. "It was a tough race," he said. "It was bitter at times, in both directions."

1. Ramaswamy Beat Himself (Slate and Republican Critics)

A Slate writer says Ramaswamy's own attacks cost him the race. Republicans criticized his ad about Acton's mother before the vote.

The ad about her mother backfired. In October, Ramaswamy's campaign aired an ad with Acton's estranged mother, Donna Arthur, calling her daughter "a liar." Arthur lost custody of her children in 1978. That came after Acton's stepfather was charged with raping Acton as a child. Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, called the ad "just plain wrong." Sen. Jon Husted, also a Republican, said, "I would not have run that ad." The Cook Political Report moved the race toward Acton on Oct. 23, partly because of the ad. The campaign pulled it about a week before Election Day.

His campaign turned voters off. Slate writer Nitish Pahwa wrote Tuesday night that "rarely has a politician who has never even held office delivered such terrible results for his party." He blamed nasty ads, Ramaswamy's inexperience and a wider backlash against Trump's movement. Pahwa said nearly every South Asian Ohioan he met in September planned to vote for Acton, including many 2024 Trump voters. NBC News also pointed to Ramaswamy's private-jet travel, which annoyed some Republicans.

Acton ran ahead of her own party. Former Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat, beat Husted for Senate on the same ballot by about 5 points, according to ABC News. Acton's margin was closer to 8. She got roughly 100,000 more votes than Brown did.

2. But Trump and a National Wave Sank Him (Ramaswamy and Arun Kumar)

Ramaswamy and Kumar point to Trump and a bad national night for Republicans.

It was a bad night for Republicans nationwide. Ramaswamy said as much in his concession. He called it "a tough and challenging night for Republicans across the country." Brown also took Husted's Senate seat, even though Husted kept his distance from the ad.

Trump's backing turned into a burden. Arun Kumar, editor-at-large at The American Bazaar, wrote that Trump's support first helped Ramaswamy, then hurt him. He pointed to the unpopular Iran war and voters' worries about prices. Trump and Vice President JD Vance rallied in Ohio in the final weeks. Both also defended the ad. Vance said he was "a little bit disgusted" by Republicans "whining" more about the ad than about Democrats' plans.

3. Still, Acton Won by Running to the Middle (Acton and Cook's Jessica Taylor)

Acton ran as a moderate focused on prices. An analyst said that's how Democrats need to look.

She ran on prices. Her pitch was tax relief for working families, public schools and fighting corruption. She cast Ramaswamy as a rich man who was out of touch. "Ohio has chosen unity and decency over division and hate," she said in her victory speech.

She broke with her party on purpose. Acton told the Toledo Blade, "I do not support boys playing in girls' sports." She also backed a voter ID amendment. Cook Political Report analyst Jessica Taylor told The New York Times before the election that Democrats "just need to come across as normal and not woke." Some LGBTQ advocates in Ohio were unhappy. The Buckeye Flame, an LGBTQ news site, dropped its rating of her from "A" to "pending."

Where This Lands

Slate's Pahwa says Ramaswamy's nasty ads and inexperience sank him. Republicans including DeWine had called his ad about Acton's mother wrong. Kumar says Trump and the Iran war sank Ramaswamy. Ramaswamy himself called it a bad night for Republicans nationwide. Acton ran as a moderate focused on prices. Taylor had said before the election that Democrats need to come across as "normal and not woke." Acton's winning margin was about three points wider than Brown's. Acton will take office in January. Republicans still control the legislature.

Sources