Republican Vivek Ramaswamy, a former GOP presidential candidate and Trump administration official, falls behind Democrat Amy Acton in Ohio's governor's race, according to a new poll released less than 50 days before Election Day. The survey shows the contest remains highly competitive, with Acton holding a narrow advantage within the poll's margin of error as both candidates vie to succeed term-limited Republican Governor Mike DeWine. Compared with a similar poll conducted by the same pollster in April, Ramaswamy's support has slipped by 1 percentage point.
Ohio’s gubernatorial race is one of 36 gubernatorial contests taking place nationwide this year, a cycle that includes several other high-profile races in states such as Michigan, Alaska, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Texas. Trump carried the state by about 11 percentage points in 2024, an improvement over his 2020 and 2016 performances, when he won by about 8 points each time. But Ohio was viewed as more competitive for Democrats not long before.
Former President Barack Obama narrowly carried Ohio in 2008 and 2012. It has shifted as Trump performed well among the state’s working-class voters. Despite that Republican trend, Ohio has a history of electing Democrats statewide.
The state's most recent Democratic governor was Ted Strickland, who served from 2007 to 2011. Ohio has elected only Republican governors since then, including current Governor Mike DeWine, who won reelection in 2022 but is now term-limited. "This poll showcases what we see every single day across Ohio; Ohioans are ready for change,” Acton campaign manager Philip Stein told Newsweek.
Acton is the only candidate in this race who will lower costs, tackle the cost of corruption, and build a state where all of us can get ahead. Vivek Ramaswamy just doesn’t get our state; Ohioans are seeing right through his policy scams and false promises,” the statement continued. Newsweek reached out to Ramaswamy’s campaign for comment via email on Wednesday.
A new Bowling Green State University/YouGov poll of 1,000 likely Ohio voters found Acton ahead of Ramaswamy, 48 percent to 45 percent. Her lead is within the poll’s margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points. About 4 percent said Libertarian Don Kissick, while 3 percent said someone else.
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