Indian American billionaire Republican Vivek Ramaswamy lost a bitterly contested Ohio gubernatorial race to Democrat Amy Acton thanks to his close ties to a highly unpopular President Donald Trump and negative messaging.
Acton became the first Democrat and the first ever woman to win the governor’s race in two decades in a key battleground which has voted for Trump in the last three presidential elections, including by 11 points in 2024.
Acton earned 51% of the votes to Ramaswamy 46% when the race was called by the Associated Press shortly before 11 p.m. EST with 85% of votes counted.
“It is a tough and challenging night for Republicans across the country and it is a tough night for us here in Ohio,” said Ramaswamy, the first Republican Buckeye to lose a bid for the governor’s mansion in 20 years, in a concession speech without dilating on what led to his humiliating loss.
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Analysts attributed his defeat largely to a controversial personal attack ad, over-reliance on negative messaging, and a failure to connect with voters on immediate economic concerns.
Aired in late-October, the attack ad featuring Acton’s estranged mother calling her a daughter and a liar, apparently backfired heavily because the mother had lost custody of Acton after the stepfather was indicted for sexually abusing Acton as a child.
The ad drew swift bipartisan condemnation—including from Ohio’s Republican Governor Mike DeWine who called it “deeply troubling” and former Indian American presidential candidate Nikki Haley — and alienated moderate and independent voters.
However, Trump described it as “powerful” and encouraged Ramaswamy to keep it running, while Vice President JD Vance, the state’s former Senator, said he would like fellow Republicans to stop “whining” about the ad and that he was “a little bit disgusted” by criticism from members of his own party.
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Ramaswamy’s gamble to hitch his wagon to Trump initially paid off, but the alliance became a liability amid a highly unpopular Iran war of choice unleashed by Trump and the affordability crisis highlighted by Democrats.
Ramaswamy, 41, attended Yale Law School with Vance and ran against Trump in the 2024 presidential primary, though he largely avoided criticizing him during a short campaign before becoming his close ally.
Ramaswamy’s media strategy too relied almost exclusively on harsh, relentless attacks against Acton rather than articulating a clear vision for Ohio, according to local reports.
Acton, on the other hand, focused her campaign on affordability, healthcare access, and her personal background as a public health physician and former state health director during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the end, despite outspending Acton significantly—pumping more than $36 million of his personal fortune into the race alongside massive support from super PACs and high-profile endorsements from Trump and Elon Musk—Ramaswamy struggled with perceptions of being out of touch.