Democrat Amy Acton has been elected governor of Ohio, defeating Republican Vivek Ramaswamy.
The victory makes Acton the first Democrat elected governor of Ohio since 2006. It also makes her the state's first woman governor.
The result is a rare Democratic win in a state that Donald Trump carried by 8 to 11 points in all three of his presidential runs.
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Acton declared victory before more than 1,000 supporters at the Hilton Columbus Downtown. In a statement posted on X, she said: "Tonight, Ohio has chosen unity and decency over division and hate. Ohio is ready for a Governor who will fight to lower costs, take on corruption, and build a state where everyone gets a fair shot."
She added: "Regardless of who you voted for, I will be a governor for all Ohioans. This isn't about party; it's about building a better future for our state."
Who Is Vivek Ramaswamy?
Ramaswamy is an Indian American Republican, a biotech billionaire and former presidential candidate. He had never held public office when he launched his run for governor in 2025. He ran with the endorsement of Trump.
Outgoing Republican Governor Mike DeWine also backed him. His running mate was state senator Rob McColley.
Ramaswamy was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1985 and raised there. His parents hail from Kerala's Palakkad district. His father was an engineer and his mother a geriatric psychiatrist. He was raised in his parents' Hindu faith but attended a Roman Catholic high school.
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He studied molecular and cellular biology at Harvard, then earned a law degree from Yale. After Harvard he worked as an analyst at the hedge fund QVT Financial.
He founded the pharmaceutical company Roivant Sciences in 2014 and was its chief executive until 2021. He later co-founded the asset manager Strive, and Axios and Bloomberg have called him a leading anti-ESG crusader.
He declared his bid for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination in February 2023. He finished fourth in the Iowa caucuses in January 2024, withdrew and endorsed Trump.
His profile rose further during a brief stint at the Department of Government Efficiency.
Who Is Amy Acton?
Acton, 60, is a physician and Youngstown native. She became a household name as Ohio's Covid-era health director in 2020, as the state faced a wave of deaths, anxiety and social disruption.
Though a Democrat, she worked closely with DeWine throughout. Her running mate was David Pepper, a former state Democratic Party chair.
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A Costly Race
By mid-October, Ramaswamy and his allies had spent $101 million on advertising, $36 million of it his own money, while Acton's side had spent about a third as much. Acton refused to debate him, and her campaign called him a "swindler", which he denies.
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