# Ohio Governor race 2026

Open seat. Vivek Ramaswamy (R) trails former state health director Amy Acton (D) in Cook's poll to replace term-limited Gov. Mike DeWine (R).

- Office: Governor
- Rating: Lean Democrat (Cook Political Report, Oct 13, 2026)
- Sabato's Crystal Ball: Leans Democratic
- Election Day: Tuesday, November 3, 2026
- Canonical page: https://rightnewsrightnow.com/election/oh-governor/
- Back to [Election Headquarters](https://rightnewsrightnow.com/election/)

## Who is running

- Vivek Ramaswamy (Republican): open seat
- Amy Acton (Democrat): open seat

## The facts

- DeWine won in 2022 with 62.4% and is term-limited. (Wikipedia)
- President Trump and Vice President Vance backed Ramaswamy, who beat Casey Putsch in the May 5 primary. (Wikipedia)
- A Cook Political Report poll, Oct. 9-13, 2026, of 959 likely Ohio voters (margin of error 3.2 points; Democratic firm New River Strategies and Republican firm GS Strategy Group), found Acton ahead 49% to 44%. (Cook Political Report)
- A Marist poll found Acton ahead by seven points. (WLWT, via Hoodline)

## Worth knowing about this race

A Ramaswamy ad featuring Acton's estranged mother drew controversy. Vice President Vance also rallied for Ramaswamy in Ohio. (The Hill)

## Why this race matters to conservatives (opinion)

Ohio has a Republican governor now. Both polls named here show a Democratic lead.

This section is the opinion of RightNewsRightNow. The rest of the page is reporting.

## Where these facts come from

- [Cook Political Report](https://www.270towin.com/2026-governor-election/cook-political-report-2026-governor): current rating, as of Oct 13, 2026
- [Wikipedia (election pages, with their cited sources)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_United_States_gubernatorial_elections): candidate and race facts