WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
  • Decision Desk HQ projected Amy Acton defeated Vivek Ramaswamy in Ohio’s governor’s race.
  • Acton led by roughly four to five points with about 75% to 80% of votes counted.
  • Ramaswamy faced criticism over an advertisement featuring Acton’s estranged mother and earlier comments defending H-1B visas.
  • Acton previously led Ohio’s early COVID-19 response and resigned in June 2020 amid protests and legislative pushback.

Decision Desk HQ projected late Tuesday night that Democrat Amy Acton had defeated Republican Vivek Ramaswamy in the Ohio governor’s race, putting the governor’s mansion in Democratic hands. The call marked a rare Democratic victory for the state’s highest office.

The result delivered a jolt in a state President Donald Trump carried by more than 11 points in 2024. Ramaswamy, a biotech entrepreneur and former presidential candidate, entered the contest with Trump’s endorsement.

Decision Desk HQ issued its projection at 10:30 p.m. EST. At that point, Acton held a lead of roughly four to five points, with approximately 75% to 80% of the votes counted.

The contest attracted national attention during its closing stages, especially after Ramaswamy’s campaign aired an advertisement featuring Acton’s estranged mother. The ad accused Acton of lying about childhood abuse.

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That attack drew criticism from both sides and was widely described as having backfired. Instead of landing a clean blow against Acton, the advertisement became another controversy surrounding Ramaswamy’s campaign before the projection arrived Tuesday night.

Ramaswamy had already faced sharp resistance from some Republicans and figures within the MAGA movement. That pushback followed comments he made in December 2024 while defending H-1B visas and the hiring of foreign workers.

In a lengthy post on X, Ramaswamy discussed why leading technology companies often prefer foreign-born and first-generation engineers over “native” Americans. He argued that the preference was not based on an innate difference in intelligence.

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Instead, Ramaswamy blamed American culture, writing that it had “venerated mediocrity over excellence for way too long.” His sweeping criticism did not sit well with many conservatives who viewed his remarks as an attack on American workers and families.

Ramaswamy also contrasted cultural praise for “the prom queen over the math olympiad champ, or the jock over the valedictorian.” He argued that a society making those choices would not produce the best engineers.

His post called for more hard work and less “laziness,” along with more tutoring, fewer sleepovers, more books, and less television. The comments came during a broader online battle over H-1B visas.

The rant triggered widespread backlash from conservatives, many of whom later struggled to support his campaign. That internal Republican anger was already established well before the final stretch of the Ohio governor’s race.

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Acton entered the contest with her own deeply controversial record from the COVID-19 period. A physician and former director of the Ohio Department of Health, she served under DeWine from 2019 until the middle of 2020.

During that period, Acton became the public face of Ohio’s early response to COVID-19. She and DeWine ordered school closures, restrictions on businesses, and stay-at-home measures while confirmed cases remained low.

Those policies earned Acton the nickname “Ohio’s Anthony Fauci.” Her role in imposing the restrictions made her a major political figure and drew fierce resistance from critics of the state’s response.

Acton resigned from the Ohio Department of Health in June 2020. Her departure came amid protests outside her home and pushback from lawmakers over the policies pursued during the early months of COVID-19.

Tuesday night’s projection placed the former Ohio health director ahead of a Trump-endorsed former presidential candidate in a state Trump had carried decisively only two years earlier. With Acton maintaining a four to five point advantage as most ballots were counted, Decision Desk HQ called the race in her favor.

The projected outcome followed a campaign in which Ramaswamy faced damaging criticism from outside and inside Republican circles. His advertisement involving Acton’s estranged mother and his earlier H-1B comments both became major sources of backlash before voters delivered their verdict.

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