Vivek Ramaswamy Faces Tough Ohio Governor Race As Amy Acton Gains Ground

Republican Vivek Ramaswamy is facing a tough challenge from Democratic rival Amy Acton in the Ohio governor’s race, with conflicting polls highlighting a tight contest ahead of the November 3 election. The latest surveys show Acton holding a lead in several polls, even as one tracking survey gives Ramaswamy a narrow advantage.

A Marist University poll, conducted between October 15 and 18, showed Acton leading Ramaswamy by seven percentage points, with 50 per cent support against his 43 per cent. The CNN-SSRS poll conducted between September 29 and October 5 had given her an eight-point lead. However, the latest ActiVote survey, fielded between September 27 and October 19, put Ramaswamy ahead by 2.8 points, with 51.4 per cent against Acton’s 48.6 per cent. The results underline the uncertainty surrounding the contest.

The campaign has also turned increasingly personal. Ramaswamy’s campaign confirmed on October 20 that it had produced a controversial attack advertisement featuring Acton’s estranged mother, Donna Arthur, and would spend $4 million airing it. Arthur accuses her daughter of dishonesty. Acton’s brother, Philip Stearns, condemned the advertisement, accusing Ramaswamy of exploiting their childhood trauma for political gain. The advertisement has drawn criticism from both Republicans and Democrats.

Ramaswamy, 41, entered the race with the backing of President Donald Trump, who endorsed him last year. The Indian-American entrepreneur also faced a setback in July when a college campaign appearance in Ohio ended with a hostile crowd booing and heckling him over his “winners versus whiners” remarks.

Born in Cincinnati on August 9, 1985, Ramaswamy traces his family roots to Palakkad in Kerala. He launched a presidential campaign in 2023 but withdrew after a poor showing in the Iowa caucuses and endorsed Trump. Following the 2024 election, he was named alongside Elon Musk to lead the Department of Government Efficiency initiative but stepped away to pursue the Ohio governorship.

If elected, Ramaswamy would become the third person of Indian descent to serve as a US governor, after Bobby Jindal of Louisiana and Nikki Haley of South Carolina. Trump won Ohio in the 2016, 2020 and 2024 presidential elections, making the state a crucial Republican battleground. Vice President JD Vance is scheduled to campaign in Cincinnati on Wednesday as Republicans seek to retain the governorship.