Vivek Ramaswamy loses to Democrat Amy Acton in Ohio governor’s race

INDIAN-American Republican leader Vivek Ramaswamy witnessed a major setback as he lost the Ohio governor's race to Democrat Amy Acton on Wednesday (November 4), according to US media.

Acton will now become the first Democrat elected Ohio governor in two decades and the first woman to hold the seat, overcoming unprecedented $100 million spent against her to win the race.

Acton's win comes as a breakthrough for Ohio Democrats. Her victory was a huge win for a party that had slipped out of power in the former swing state, one that Democrats had all but written off as voters shifted toward Republicans during the Trump era.

Acton, 60, succeeds GOP Gov. Mike DeWine, whom she served alongside during the early months of the pandemic. But she enters office without elective experience, a stark contrast with her 79-year-old former boss, who is term-limited and likely retiring from elective politics after 50 years.

Amy Acton polled 50.4 per cent of the vote, while Ramaswamy won 46.3 per cent of the vote, as of 8:40 am (IST), according to NBC News. "Vivek Ramaswamy would need to win 53.9% of the remaining vote to catch or overtake Amy Acton, who leads," the report added.

CNN also projected that Democrat Amy Acton defeats Republican Vivek Ramaswamy in the Ohio governor's race. Many US media outlets did not call the elections.

Who is Amy Acton?

Amy Acton is a public health physician and former COVID-19-era state health director. She campaigned relentlessly on affordability and better access to healthcare, appealing to working- and middle-class voters by emphasizing her hardscrabble roots as an Ohio native who spent part of her childhood homeless and, for one winter, living out of a tent.

Amy Acton grew up in Youngstown, Ohio under difficult circumstances. "But that made Amy tough – and now, Amy is running for governor to fight for every Ohio family that’s struggling today," the information on her election page read.

As per the details, Amy overcame periods of abuse, hunger, and neglect and even wound up living in a tent in the middle of winter. "That challenging upbringing moulded the values and determination that have shaped a career dedicated to lifting others," it added.

As she took the stage for her victory speech, Acton was greeted by the shrieks of joy, shouts and chants of “Amy! Amy! Amy!”

She repeated her campaign pledge to turn down the temperature on Ohio politics and to never ignore anyone as governor, whether they voted for her or not.

“The healing begins today," she said.

Who is Vivek Ramaswamy?

Vivek Ramaswamy is an Indian-origin entrepreneur and politician who made millions in pharmaceutical start-ups and briefly ran for president in 2024.

Following Trump's election victory, he was selected alongside Elon Musk to co-lead the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), but later left the initiative to pursue his political ambitions.

Endorsing Ramaswamy, US President Donald Trump said in a post on social media, “I know Vivek well, competed against him, and he is something SPECIAL. He is young, strong, and smart! Vivek is also a very good person, who truly loves our country."

Trump, meanwhile, called Ramaswamy's opponent, Amy Acton, “a Radical Left Democrat who wants massive tax increases, open borders, men playing in women's sports, and transgender mutilation of your children."

Had Trump-endorsed Ramaswamy won the Ohio governor's race, he would have become the first Indian-American governor of Ohio and the second-richest governor in the US, Forbes reported.

Ramaswamy and his wife of 10 years, Dr Apoorva Ramaswamy (a throat surgeon at Ohio State), are raising their family in Greater Columbus.

Running on a conservative, business-grounded agenda, Ramaswamy’s campaign seeks to expand economic opportunity, empower parents in education, and strengthen local communities across all 88 Ohio counties, according to his webpage.

Vivek is now running as the Republican nominee for Governor of Ohio in 2026 against Democratic nominee Amy Acton, a physician and former Director of the Ohio Department of Health.

Ramaswamy’s campaign offers a vision centred on free-market growth, regulatory reduction, tax burden relief, and strict government spending accountability.

Ramaswamy's major source of wealth is Roivant Sciences, a biopharmaceutical and health technology company he founded in 2014. The company's stock performed well in 2025 after brepocitinib, its drug candidate for treating an autoimmune disease, reported encouraging results in Phase 3 clinical trials.