Democrat Amy Acton won Ohio’s governor election over Republican Vivek Ramaswamy, Decision Desk HQ reported.
DDHQ’s Nov. 4, 5:40 a.m. EST statewide tally showed Acton with 2,404,179 votes (52.31%), Ramaswamy with 2,039,731 (44.38%) and Libertarian Don Kissick with 151,874 (3.30%), with more than 95% of the estimated vote counted. DDHQ called the race Nov. 3 at 10:30 p.m. EST. These reported totals remain unofficial and subject to certification.
Acton, a public-health physician from Youngstown, led the Ohio Department of Health under Republican Gov. Mike DeWine during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Her work has also included teaching public health at Ohio State and serving at the Columbus Foundation. Her running mate, David Pepper, is a former Ohio Democratic Party chair who served on Cincinnati City Council and the Hamilton County Commission.
Ramaswamy, a biotech entrepreneur and former presidential candidate, ran with Ohio Senate President Rob McColley. DeWine was barred by term limits from seeking another term, making this an open-seat contest. The Associated Press reported that Acton became the first woman elected Ohio governor and the first Democrat to win the office in 20 years.
During the campaign, Acton emphasized household costs, health care and public education. Her education agenda called for more public-school funding and greater oversight of private-school vouchers. Those proposals remain an agenda for the incoming administration; the election result does not itself change school funding or voucher law.
For Mason and Deerfield families, the state government’s school-funding and budget decisions matter alongside local school levies. The statewide totals above cover all of Ohio and should not be confused with Warren County’s vote alone.
