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Democrat Amy Acton wins Ohio governor's race after 20 years

Summarised from 6 outlets · 7 reports · Updated 4 Nov, 04:40 · Archive

Democrat Amy Acton has been elected Ohio governor, defeating Republican Vivek Ramaswamy and ending two decades of Republican control of the post.

Amy Acton has been elected governor of Ohio, defeating Vivek Ramaswamy in a race that has become one of the most expensive and bitter in the country. Acton, 60, is a physician and native of Youngstown who led the state's Department of Health during the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic under outgoing Republican governor Mike DeWine. She becomes the first woman to serve as Ohio's governor and the first Democrat elected to the post since Ted Strickland in 2006.

Ramaswamy, 41, is a biotech entrepreneur and native of Cincinnati. He received President Trump's endorsement the day he launched his campaign. Trump and Vice President JD Vance had backed him throughout the race. Ramaswamy had significantly outspent Acton, with millions of dollars in negative advertisements flooding the state. Elon Musk directed at least five million dollars into a political action committee aligned with Ramaswamy.

Acton's campaign centred on lowering costs for voters. She promised an earned income tax credit, a child tax credit of up to £1,000, a public prescription drug platform and property tax relief aimed at seniors and middle-income homeowners. She cast herself as a pragmatist with experience serving in a Republican administration and highlighted her personal story, including experiencing homelessness as a child. Ramaswamy focused his campaign on efficiency and business success, promising to make Ohio income-tax free within a decade and cut energy bills.

In the closing weeks of the race, Ramaswamy's campaign aired a controversial four-million-dollar attack advertisement featuring Acton's estranged mother calling her a liar and saying voters should not elect her. The ad did not mention that Acton had been estranged from her mother since childhood or that her mother lost custody of her children after Acton's stepfather was indicted on a charge of raping Acton when she was 12.

The advertisement drew swift condemnation from Democrats and numerous Republicans, including DeWine, who called it 'deeply troubling' and urged the campaign to take it down. Republican Senator Jon Husted also condemned it. However, Trump said he supported the decision to air it, and Vance said he was 'disgusted' by Republicans opposed to it. Ramaswamy initially defended the ad, though his campaign said its planned run ended days before Election Day.

Ohio, once a perennial battleground state, has been trending more Republican in recent years. Trump won the state by 11 points in 2024. Acton's victory marks a rare win for Democrats in a state that has increasingly shifted towards Republicans. She will lead Ohio alongside a Republican-controlled legislature, setting up potential clashes over tax reform, school funding and datacentres.

Democrat Amy Acton wins Ohio governor's race after 20 years
Image: Independent World

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In this story: Amy Acton · Vivek Ramaswamy · Donald Trump · Mike DeWine · JD Vance · Ohio

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem · Corrections log