Amy Acton
Physician and former Ohio health director; Ohio governor-elect after beating Vivek Ramaswamy in 2026.
Amy Acton won Ohio's governorship on 3 November 2026, beating Republican Vivek Ramaswamy 52.3% to 44.4% on NBC News's count. Ramaswamy conceded, and NPR reported her as the first Democrat to win the office since 2006.
Last refreshed: 5 November 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
Can Ohio's former pandemic-era health director beat Vivek Ramaswamy for governor?
Timeline for Amy Acton
Took Ohio's governorship from the Republicans
US Midterms 2026: Sherrod Brown unseats Jon Husted in OhioRaters tip Ohio governor's race to Acton
US Midterms 2026Sabato and Cook widen Democrats' map
US Midterms 2026Background
Acton won Ohio's governorship on 3 November 2026, beating Republican Vivek Ramaswamy 52.3% to 44.4% on NBC News's count with 98% of the expected vote in. Ramaswamy conceded, and NPR reported her as the first Democrat to win the office since 2006. Her win took the governorship from the Republicans.
Acton is a physician and led Ohio's Department of Health during the state's 2020 pandemic response. That public-health role shaped her political identity. Cook Political Report and Sabato's Crystal Ball moved her race from Leans Republican to Toss-up in September 2026.
She won on the same ballot that returned Sherrod Brown to the Senate, as Democrats took both of Ohio's top contested offices on one night.
Acton takes the governorship from Republicans
The race moved her way in stages. Forecasters shifted it from Leans Republican to Toss-up in September, then Sabato's Crystal Ball and Cook Political Report moved it to Lean Democrat on 22 and 23 October. Cook said Ramaswamy's attack ad on Acton showed the race slipping away from him.
On 3 November she won by about eight points, on the same ballot that returned Sherrod Brown to the Senate in Ohio's special election. Her win took the governorship from the Republicans. A former state health director whose public profile was built in the 2020 pandemic now leads the state government.
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Written with AI from Lowdown's published reporting. Not individually reviewed by an editor. Updated 5 November 2026. Editorial standards.