Amy Acton flips Ohio governorship, beating Vivek Ramaswamy

Democrat Amy Acton won Ohio’s race for governor, defeating Republican Vivek Ramaswamy in an upset that hands Democrats the statehouse after two decades of GOP control. Multiple media outlets projected Acton the winner on Nov. 3. The contest turned sharply negative in its final stretch after Ramaswamy aired a $4 million ad featuring Acton’s estranged mother attacking her credibility. The spot triggered bipartisan backlash after Acton said she had not seen her mother since 1978 and described abuse, hunger and neglect in childhood, including sexual abuse by her mother’s husband. Acton, a physician who led Ohio’s health department early in the Covid-19 pandemic, will succeed term-limited Republican Gov. Mike DeWine.