Two weeks after Vivek Ramaswamy’s campaign ran an ad starring her estranged mother, Amy Acton beat him by about 7 points to become Ohio’s next governor. She’s the first Democrat Ohioans have elected governor in two decades, Time reported, and the first woman ever elected to the job, according to Axios. Near-final counts had her at about 52% to Ramaswamy’s 45%.
Ohio Democrats had a big night overall. Sherrod Brown beat Sen. Jon Husted, about 50% to 45%, ABC News reported, in a state Trump won by double digits in 2024.
Did the Ramaswamy ad backfire?
It sure looks that way. The ad featured Acton’s mother, who lost custody of Acton and her brother in 1978, the same year their stepfather was indicted for raping Acton as a child. Gov. Mike DeWine called it “deeply, deeply troubling” and “just plain wrong.” Trump and JD Vance defended it, and Ramaswamy’s campaign put $4 million behind it. The Cook Political Report moved the race to “Lean Democrat” on Oct. 23, citing the ad in part. We covered the ad and the Republican split over it when it came out.
Who is Amy Acton?
A physician who became nationally known as Ohio’s health director early in the COVID-19 pandemic, appointed by DeWine. She ran on health care and the cost of living. The race was open because DeWine was term-limited, and Ramaswamy and his allies spent far more on ads than she did. The two never debated.
What does Acton’s win mean for Ohio?
She’ll face a Republican legislature, so big changes will have to be negotiated. But a governor controls the budget proposal, health agencies and a veto. For Republicans nationally, Ohio is a warning: a state that had become reliably red flipped its top office in a year when voters were angry about prices and the Iran war.
The BeezLoop Take
Voters were given a clear test of what they’d tolerate, and they answered. An ad built around a childhood abuse survivor’s estranged mother, defended by the president and vice president, didn’t win anyone over. It probably cost votes.
That should end the idea that anything goes as long as it gets attention. DeWine said it plainly before the election. Ohio voters agreed with him, not with the people in Washington who told Republicans to “stop whining.”
The open question: can Acton get anything through a Republican legislature, or will Ohio spend four years in gridlock?
More on BeezLoop: a soldier’s widower confronted JD Vance at a CBS town hall.
Sources: Time · Axios · ABC News · ABC News (video)
