UPDATE | 10:47 p.m. ET: Democrat Amy Acton has crossed the 2 million-vote mark in Ohio’s gubernatorial election, widening her lead over Indian American Republican Vivek Ramaswamy.
With 84.7% of the expected vote counted, Acton has received 2,037,511 votes (50.7%), compared with Ramaswamy’s 1,847,078 (46.0%), a margin of 190,433 votes, or 4.7 percentage points.
Independent candidate Don Kissick has received 134,505 votes (3.3%).
With an estimated 727,000 votes outstanding, Ramaswamy would need approximately 61.4% of the remaining vote to overtake Acton. The race remains uncalled.
UPDATE | 10:34 p.m. ET: Democrat Amy Acton continues to lead Indian American Republican Vivek Ramaswamy in Ohio’s gubernatorial election, with 79.5% of the expected vote counted.
Acton has received 1,900,498 votes (50.4%), compared with Ramaswamy’s 1,746,119 (46.3%), a lead of 154,379 votes, or 4.1 percentage points.
Independent candidate Don Kissick has secured 126,561 votes (3.4%).
With approximately 973,000 votes still outstanding, Ramaswamy would need to win about 56.3% of the remaining vote to overcome Acton’s lead, according to NBC News. The race remains uncalled.
UPDATE | 10:21 p.m. ET: Democrat Amy Acton continues to lead Indian American Republican Vivek Ramaswamy in Ohio’s gubernatorial election, with 79% of the expected vote counted.
Acton has received 1,886,101 votes (50.5%), compared with Ramaswamy’s 1,723,411 (46.2%), a lead of 162,690 votes, or 4.3 percentage points.
Independent candidate Don Kissick has secured 124,586 votes (3.3%).
With an estimated 994,000 votes still outstanding, the race remains uncalled. A total of 3,734,098 votes have been counted so far.
Ramaswamy trails Acton
Published at 9:57 pm
Indian American Republican Vivek Ramaswamy was trailing Democrat Amy Acton in Ohio’s gubernatorial election Tuesday night, as early returns showed the former state health director leading the billionaire entrepreneur and former presidential candidate.
According to the latest figures, Acton had received 1,613,815votes, or 50.8%, compared with 1,476,554 votes, or 45.9%, for Ramaswamy.
Libertarian candidate Don Kissick was third with 104,304 votes, or 3.2%.
Acton was leading by 159,304 votes, a margin of approximately 4.9 percentage points. The race remained uncalled at the time of this update, with ballots still being counted.
The contest has attracted national attention because of its implications for President Donald Trump and the Republican Party in a state that has increasingly become a Republican stronghold.
Trump carried Ohio by more than 11 percentage points in the 2024 presidential election and strongly endorsed Ramaswamy, who entered the gubernatorial race with considerable personal wealth and national political visibility.
A victory for Acton would make her Ohio’s first female governor and the first Democrat elected to the office since Ted Strickland in 2006. Republican Gov. Mike DeWine, who has held the office since 2019, is barred by term limits from seeking another consecutive term.
Ramaswamy, 41, the Cincinnati-born son of Indian immigrants, rose to prominence as a biotechnology entrepreneur before seeking the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.
After withdrawing from that race, he became a prominent Trump supporter and subsequently launched his campaign for governor.
He emphasized economic growth, tax reductions, deregulation and education reform, presenting his business background as an asset in managing the state.
Acton, 60, a physician who gained statewide recognition for leading Ohio’s public health response during the COVID-19 pandemic, campaigned on affordability, healthcare, education and economic opportunity.
The race became increasingly competitive in the final weeks, with several opinion polls showing Acton gaining ground.
The campaign also saw controversy over an advertisement featuring Acton’s long-estranged mother, who accused her daughter of lying about her childhood.
The advertisement drew criticism from prominent Republicans, including DeWine, who urged Ramaswamy to withdraw it. The campaign subsequently stopped airing the commercial.
A major political test
For Ramaswamy, the election represents an important test of his political ambitions and his ability to appeal beyond Trump’s Republican base.
His candidacy also attracted considerable attention among Indian Americans, who have steadily expanded their political presence at the federal and state levels.
Ohio voters are simultaneously deciding a closely watched U.S. Senate race between Republican incumbent Jon Husted and former Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown.
Together, the contests could offer important insights into the political mood in a state that Trump has carried in three consecutive presidential elections.
With vote counting continuing, the outcome of the governor’s race remained uncertain Tuesday night.
This is a developing story. The American Bazaar will update it as additional results become available.