Democrat Dr. Amy Acton wins Ohio governor race, becomes state’s first female governor

Democrat Dr. Amy Acton, a former public health official that led Ohio through the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, is projected to become the next governor of the state in an unlikely win.

The Associated Press called the race for Acton at 10:49 p.m. EST. As of 11:30 p.m. EST, Acton led over Republican businessman Vivek Ramaswamy by a count of 50.9% to 45.8%.

Acton’s win seemed very unlikely at the start of the year; Donald Trump won the state by over 11 percentage points in 2024, and Republicans controlled every statewide office and had supermajorities in both state legislative chambers. But Acton co-led a strong Democratic ticket in Ohio with former longtime U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, which benefited from Trump’s unpopularity and American frustration with the economy. Along with being the state’s first Democratic governor since 2011, she will become the first female governor in the state’s history.

Ramaswamy, a billionaire and former 2024 presidential candidate, repeatedly faced accusations of being out of touch, as indicated by his hundreds of thousands of dollars in luxury jet travel during the campaign. The conservative firebrand also made plenty of decisions condemned by both parties, most notably paying for and doubling down on a campaign ad that used Acton’s estranged mother against her.