---
title: "Acton vs. Ramaswamy: 2026 Ohio governor’s race"
url: "https://www.2026election.com/race/2026-governor-oh"
updated: "2026-10-07"
source: "Candidates' campaign sites and Ballotpedia, quoted verbatim"
publisher: "Pluribus"
---

# 2026 Ohio governor’s race: Amy Acton (D) vs. Vivek Ramaswamy (R)

Rating: Toss-up · Election: November 3, 2026 · Ballot checked: October 9, 2026 · Positions captured: October 7, 2026

The 2026 Ohio gubernatorial election features Democratic physician and former state health director Amy Acton against Republican biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, with both running on single tickets alongside their lieutenant governor running mates to replace term-limited Republican Governor Mike DeWine. The matchup hinges on whether Acton can overcome Ohio's recent rightward political shift by highlighting affordability, public school funding, anti-corruption, and healthcare reform, or whether Ramaswamy can mobilize conservative voters through tax elimination, energy expansion, law enforcement backing, and government cost-cutting.

## Candidates

- **Amy Acton** (Democrat) · [Campaign site](https://www.actonforgovernor.com/) · [Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Amy_Acton)
- **Vivek Ramaswamy** (Republican) · [Campaign site](https://vivekforohio.com/) · [Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Vivek_Ramaswamy)

## Issues

### Cost of living and tax policy

Salience: high

Acton advocates for targeted working-family tax credits and consumer protections, while Ramaswamy favors phasing out the state income tax and cutting business regulations.

**Amy Acton:** Supports middle-class tax cuts and affordability

Acton focuses her economic platform on reducing living expenses for working families through targeted tax relief, price gouging enforcement, and corporate accountability. She proposes a Working Families Tax Cut that includes expanding the Earned Income Credit and creating a new child tax credit for lower- and middle-income families. Acton also plans a top-to-bottom review of JobsOhio and regulatory enforcement to eliminate hidden consumer fees.

- Implement a Working Families Tax Cut expanding the Earned Income Credit for up to 775,000 families.
- Establish a child tax credit of $1,000 per child aged 0-6 and $500 per child aged 7-18 for families earning up to $85,000.
- Conduct a full review of JobsOhio to mandate transparency and accountability for economic incentive grants.
- Pass First Click Guarantee transparency laws and support HB 563 to eliminate hidden ticket markups and app store fees.

> “As governor, my number one priority will be to secure a tax cut for Ohio’s working families to put money back in their pockets, lift families out of poverty, and make sure Ohioans see their hard work pay off.”
> — Amy Acton, via [Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Amy_Acton)

**Vivek Ramaswamy:** Supports eliminating income tax and cutting regulations

Ramaswamy advocates for sweeping supply-side economic reforms aimed at making Ohio the most affordable state in the nation. His plan centers on phasing out the state income tax, eliminating capital gains taxes, providing immediate gas tax relief, and removing regulatory burdens on businesses. He emphasizes shrinking government spending so the state lives within its means.

- Phase out the state income tax, beginning with the complete elimination of capital gains taxes.
- Enact gas tax relief and a temporary gas tax holiday to lower fuel costs at the pump.
- Slash regulatory red tape and government bloat to encourage entrepreneurship and business investment.

> “That means bringing down costs, cutting red tape, reducing government waste, and expanding our energy supply.”
> — Vivek Ramaswamy, via [Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Vivek_Ramaswamy)

### Property taxes

Salience: high

Acton offers a targeted tax spike rebate and expanded senior income cap, whereas Ramaswamy calls for immediate property tax rollbacks funded by ending corporate tax abatements.

**Amy Acton:** Supports targeted property tax rebates and homestead exemption

Acton seeks to provide relief from rising property tax appraisals through targeted state assistance for seniors and middle-class homeowners. She proposes expanding income eligibility for the Homestead Exemption and establishing a property tax spike rebate. Additionally, Acton wants to curb aggressive tax lien sales by private collection agencies.

- Raise the household income cap for the Homestead Exemption to $50,000 to assist 55,000 additional senior homeowners.
- Create a property tax spike rebate of up to $1,000 for qualifying homeowners earning under $132,000 whose tax bill rose over 4% in a year.
- Crack down on private tax lien certificate sales that charge homeowners 18% interest rates.

> “As governor, I will expand the Homestead Exemption so more of Ohio’s seniors are eligible for property tax relief.”
> — Amy Acton, via [Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Amy_Acton)

**Vivek Ramaswamy:** Supports immediate property tax rollbacks

Ramaswamy pledges immediate, historic property tax rollbacks to keep families and seniors from being priced out of their homes. He plans to fund property tax rebates for homeowners by ending tax abatements for industrial projects like data centers and redirecting 100% of their property tax revenue directly to residents.

- Enact immediate property tax rollbacks for Ohio homeowners and seniors.
- Prohibit future property tax abatements for data centers to mandate full tax payments.
- Direct 100% of data center property tax collections into a dedicated homeowner tax rebate fund.

> “Slash property taxes immediately to protect families, seniors, and homeowners from being priced out of their communities.”
> — Vivek Ramaswamy, via [Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Vivek_Ramaswamy)

### Energy policy and data centers

Salience: high

Acton supports a conditional moratorium requiring data centers to use union labor on brownfields, while Ramaswamy proposes a temporary approval halt until data centers offset residential electricity costs in local benefit zones.

**Amy Acton:** Supports conditional data center moratorium and consumer energy protections

Acton advocates for an all-of-the-above energy plan focused on consumer savings, grid reliability, and clean power expansion. She proposes placing a conditional moratorium on data centers until developers agree to cover 100% of their energy and water costs, refrain from non-disclosure agreements, build on brownfields, and use union labor. Acton also wants to appoint ratepayer-focused utility commissioners.

- Institute a conditional moratorium on data center construction until strict energy, environmental, and labor rules are met.
- Require data centers to cover 100% of their infrastructure and energy costs so costs are not passed to residential utility customers.
- Mandate that new data centers be constructed exclusively with union labor on designated industrial brownfields.
- Appoint Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) commissioners focused on consumer rates and restore funding to the Office of the Consumers' Counsel.

> “I support a conditional moratorium on data centers to ensure they cover one hundred percent of their utility costs, exclusively build with union labor, operate with full transparency, support the needs of local communities, live by Ohio’s environmental standards, and bring jobs to former industrial areas that have been left behind.”
> — Amy Acton, via [Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Amy_Acton)

**Vivek Ramaswamy:** Supports expanded natural gas, data center electricity offsets

Ramaswamy proposes expanding natural gas production and innovative power generation to increase supply and lower electric bills. To manage data center expansion, he pledges a day-one executive order halting approvals until legislation mandates that data centers cover energy costs for surrounding residential benefit zones, potentially eliminating home electric bills locally while paying full local property taxes.

- Issue a day-one executive order temporarily halting new data center approvals until legislative standards are codified.
- Require data centers to generate off-grid power or credit excess energy generation to surrounding residents to offset local home electric bills.
- Ban property tax abatements for future data centers to fund local homeowner property tax rebates.
- Expand natural gas production, deploy nuclear energy technologies, and fast-track permit approvals.

> “If a data center is built in your community, then (i) you will no longer have to pay for your home’s electricity, (ii) you will pay lower property taxes, and (iii) the data center will be required to abide by all air and water quality standards without exception, and we will take the necessary steps to protect Ohio’s fertile farmland.”
> — Vivek Ramaswamy, via [Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Vivek_Ramaswamy)

### Education

Salience: high

Acton advocates for full state public school funding and voucher restrictions, whereas Ramaswamy supports school choice, merit pay for teachers, and core academic testing benchmarks.

**Amy Acton:** Supports fully funding public schools and voucher reform

Acton prioritizes strengthening public education through full constitutional state funding and reform of private school voucher programs. She advocates for implementing the bipartisan Fair School Funding Plan, offering free school meals to all students, and expanding 21st-century workforce preparation in math and literacy.

- Fully implement the bipartisan Fair School Funding Plan to restore public education funding.
- Reform the state private school voucher system to increase transparency and redirect public dollars to public schools.
- Provide universal free breakfast and lunch for all public school children in Ohio.

> “As Governor, I will put working families first by restoring public school funding to a constitutional level and implement the bipartisan Fair School Funding Plan.”
> — Amy Acton, via [Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Amy_Acton)

**Vivek Ramaswamy:** Supports academic standards, merit pay, and school choice

Ramaswamy focuses on educational achievement by establishing core academic benchmarks, expanding school choice, and rewarding high-performing teachers. He proposes emphasizing foundational skills in literacy, math, and civics while expanding career-technical apprenticeships.

- Raise academic standards with explicit benchmarks for 3rd-grade literacy, 8th-grade math, and 12th-grade civics.
- Provide parents with greater educational transparency and choice regarding school selection.
- Implement merit-based pay structures to compensate top teachers at higher rates.
- Expand career-technical training programs and vocational apprenticeships.

> “Raise academic standards with a focus on 3rd-grade literacy, 8th-grade numeracy, and 12th-grade civics.”
> — Vivek Ramaswamy, via [Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Vivek_Ramaswamy)

### Labor and union rights

Salience: medium

Acton pledges to protect collective bargaining and enforce wage theft laws, while Ramaswamy faces criticism from opponents over past calls to end public-sector unions.

**Amy Acton:** Supports labor unions, wage theft enforcement, and collective bargaining

Acton highlights her personal family ties to union labor and positions herself as a defender of collective bargaining rights. She pledges to oppose right-to-work legislation, issue executive action against wage theft, and enforce labor law compliance across state-assisted projects.

- Prevent Ohio from adopting right-to-work laws and protect public worker collective bargaining rights.
- Issue a day-one executive order instructing state agencies to fast-track wage theft and worker misclassification cases.
- Require state-funded and data center development projects to employ union labor.

> “As governor, I will protect our unions and ensure that Ohio never becomes a right-to-work state. I will always have working families’ backs and fight to keep Ohio’s unions strong.”
> — Amy Acton, via [Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Amy_Acton)

**Vivek Ramaswamy:** Has no detailed positive labor platform; called to end federal unions

Ramaswamy does not present a pro-union policy page, though he holds endorsements from select building trade unions. Opponents point to his past statements advocating for the elimination of federal employee unions and public teacher unions.

- Endorsed by the Affiliated Construction Trades of Ohio and the Central Midwest Regional Council of Carpenters.

### Public safety and criminal justice

Salience: medium

Acton focuses on fully funding law enforcement agencies, community mental health, and banning flock cameras, while Ramaswamy emphasizes stricter bail rules and enhanced sentencing for repeat violent offenders.

**Amy Acton:** Supports fully funding police, mental health, and banning flock cameras

Acton emphasizes supporting law enforcement through direct state funding and community safety investments. Her platform focuses on addressing officer shortages, expanding addiction treatment and mental health resources, and supporting legislation to ban flock surveillance cameras.

- Fully fund local police, firefighters, and first responder units to resolve staffing shortages.
- Invest in community addiction treatment, mental health support, and prevention programs.
- Support bipartisan legislation to prohibit the use of flock surveillance cameras.

> “As Governor, I will rebuild state and local partnerships, fully fund the police and public safety, and ensure that communities again have the public safety resources they need.”
> — Amy Acton, via [Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Amy_Acton)

**Vivek Ramaswamy:** Supports strict bail/sentencing, police backing, and mental health interventions

Ramaswamy's law-and-order platform centers on tough-on-crime legislation and strong support for law enforcement agencies. He proposes stricter bail and sentencing laws for repeat violent offenders and targeted psychiatric care to reduce crime in Ohio cities.

- Enforce stricter bail requirements and tougher criminal sentencing for repeat violent offenders.
- Provide state support and authority to local police and sheriffs to arrest violent offenders.
- Implement interventions for severe psychiatric illness to allow police officers to focus on violent crime.

> “Enforce stricter bail and sentencing for repeat violent offenders.”
> — Vivek Ramaswamy, via [Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Vivek_Ramaswamy)

### Government ethics and transparency

Salience: medium

Acton proposes day-one executive orders targeting lobbyist revolving doors and contractor disclosures, whereas Ramaswamy targets overall government bloat and regulatory reduction.

**Amy Acton:** Supports executive orders on anti-corruption and dark money transparency

Acton makes anti-corruption reform a flagship priority, proposing day-one executive action to clean up state government contracting and board appointments. Her platform requires dark money political disclosures for state vendors, mandatory ethics pledges, and limits on former lobbyists serving on regulatory boards.

- Create an Anti-Corruption Task Force on day one to conduct state audits and issue recommendations within 100 days.
- Bar lobbyists, lawyers, and consultants who represented regulated entities in the prior three years from serving on those regulatory bodies.
- Institute a mandatory 3-year cooling-off period and ethics pledge for regulatory appointees.
- Require companies bidding on state contracts above $50,000 to disclose beneficial ownership and political campaign donations.

> “On day one as governor, I will issue anti-corruption Executive Orders to restore ethics to Ohio’s government and tackle the cost of corruption in our state.”
> — Amy Acton, via [Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Amy_Acton)

**Vivek Ramaswamy:** Supports cutting government waste, bloat, and red tape

Ramaswamy views government integrity through the lens of efficiency, fiscal restraint, and deregulation. He advocates for shrinking government bureaucracy and ensuring state agencies operate within strict budget constraints.

- Reduce government spending bloat to force state agencies to live within their budgets.
- Eliminate redundant regulations that slow commercial development and inflate costs.

> “Cut government bloat so our government lives within its means—not yours.”
> — Vivek Ramaswamy, via [Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Vivek_Ramaswamy)

### LGBTQ+ rights and sports participation

Salience: low

Acton supports anti-discrimination protections while maintaining enforcement of girls' sports restrictions, whereas Ramaswamy focuses on opposing corporate 'woke' social agendas.

**Amy Acton:** Supports anti-discrimination laws while enforcing law on girls' sports

Acton supports legal protections against discrimination for LGBTQ+ Ohioans in housing, employment, and public accommodations. Simultaneously, she explicitly supports Ohio's existing law restricting transgender girls from participating in female school sports.

- Enforce Ohio's law prohibiting biological males from participating in girls' sports.
- Advocate for non-discrimination statutes protecting LGBTQ+ individuals in employment, housing, equal pay, and public accommodations.

> “I do not support boys playing in girls sports. This is already settled law in Ohio, and as governor I will enforce and uphold the law.”
> — Amy Acton, via [Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Amy_Acton)

**Vivek Ramaswamy:** Opposes corporate social justice agendas and woke policies

Ramaswamy does not detail specific legislative proposals regarding LGBTQ+ rights in the sources, but he built his political profile opposing corporate 'woke' culture and social justice initiatives.

- Author of Woke, Inc., arguing against corporate involvement in political and social justice causes.

### Agriculture and natural resources

Salience: low

Acton focuses on eminent domain safeguards and H2Ohio conservation funding, while Ramaswamy emphasizes steering data centers away from farmland and mandating industrial water recycling.

**Amy Acton:** Supports farmland protection, H2Ohio, and agricultural tax relief

Acton proposes protecting farmland from urban and industrial development, strengthening eminent domain protections, and maintaining agricultural tax incentives. She supports youth agriculture programs and keeping livestock standards with the Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board.

- Protect agricultural tax credits and strengthen eminent domain restrictions for farm owners.
- Prioritize industrial brownfield development over farmland conversion for data centers.
- Continue state support for H2Ohio clean water initiatives and 4-H/FFA youth programming.

> “As governor, I will protect tax incentives, credits, and relief programs to ensure our tax system works for Ohio farmers.”
> — Amy Acton, via [Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Amy_Acton)

**Vivek Ramaswamy:** Supports protecting farmland from data centers and water conservation

Ramaswamy incorporates agricultural protection into his data center platform, pledging to protect fertile farmland by steering development toward brownfields and enforcing strict water recycling requirements.

- Direct data centers to vacant industrial sites rather than agricultural farmland.
- Require data centers to recycle and clean water used in cooling operations.
- Endorsed by the Ohio Corn & Wheat Growers Association.

> “Our water and farmland are some of Ohio’s greatest and most precious resources, and my plan ensures that they are protected for all Ohioans.”
> — Vivek Ramaswamy, via [Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Vivek_Ramaswamy)

### Senior care and aging in place

Salience: low

Acton supports home-care workforce development and anti-scam protections for seniors, while Ramaswamy focuses on property tax rollbacks to keep seniors in their homes.

**Amy Acton:** Supports elder care workforce training and home-based care

Acton advocates for policies helping seniors remain in their homes, strengthening the long-term care workforce, and protecting elderly residents from financial fraud and scams.

- Invest in workforce training and career pathways for assisted living and home-care personnel.
- Support family caregivers and home-based community services for aging residents.
- Direct state regulators and banks to protect seniors from identity theft and financial scams.

> “I believe that we need to support families and caregivers as they help our seniors age in place, at home.”
> — Amy Acton, via [Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Amy_Acton)

**Vivek Ramaswamy:** Supports property tax rollbacks for seniors

Ramaswamy addresses senior care primarily through property tax cuts, arguing immediate rollbacks are necessary to prevent fixed-income seniors from losing their homes.

- Implement immediate property tax rollbacks to protect seniors on fixed incomes.

> “Slash property taxes immediately to protect families, seniors, and homeowners from being priced out of their communities.”
> — Vivek Ramaswamy, via [Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Vivek_Ramaswamy)

### Healthcare

Salience: high

Acton details proposals to relieve medical debt, expand Medicaid, and lower drug prices through Ohio Rx, whereas Ramaswamy presents no specific state healthcare plan in the sources.

**Amy Acton:** Supports protecting Medicaid, drug price cuts, and medical debt relief

As a physician and former health director, Acton centers her healthcare platform on lowering out-of-pocket costs, protecting safety-net programs, and canceling medical debt. She proposes creating an online prescription savings platform called Ohio Rx and directing state intervention to relieve medical debt for pennies on the dollar.

- Launch Ohio Rx, leveraging state Medicaid purchasing power to lower prescription drug prices for all residents.
- Issue a day-one directive for the state to purchase and relieve outstanding medical debt for working families.
- Protect Medicaid and Medicare access by reducing enrollment red tape and ending predatory collection tactics.
- Mandate price transparency for hospitals and health insurers to eliminate surprise medical billing.

> “Medical debt is the leading form of consumer debt, which is why on my first day in office I will direct our state to join the cities in our state – including Cincinnati, Cleveland, and Toledo – that have successfully relieved nearly a billion dollars in medical debt for working families, often for pennies on the dollar, giving families some breathing room and the fresh start they need.”
> — Amy Acton, via [Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Amy_Acton)

**Vivek Ramaswamy:** No documented position in our sources

### Reproductive freedom

Salience: medium

Acton explicitly commits to protecting abortion rights and Issue 1, while Ramaswamy does not outline a detailed abortion position in the provided sources.

**Amy Acton:** Supports full reproductive freedom and access to abortion

Acton strongly advocates for protecting access to reproductive healthcare, including abortion, contraception, IVF, and prenatal care. She pledges to defend voter-approved constitutional protections under Issue 1 against legislative challenges.

- Protect legal access to abortion, contraception, fertility treatments, and miscarriage care.
- Uphold and enforce Ohio Issue 1 reproductive freedom constitutional protections against state restrictions.

> “When I am Governor, I will protect reproductive freedom so that every woman can access safe, legal abortion care, contraception, fertility treatments, and miscarriage care.”
> — Amy Acton, via [Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Amy_Acton)

**Vivek Ramaswamy:** No documented position in our sources

### Voting procedures

Salience: low

Acton endorses Ohio's photo voter ID amendment provided IDs are distributed free of charge, while Ramaswamy has no voting policy platform outlined in the sources.

**Amy Acton:** Supports photo voter ID amendment with free access guarantees

Acton broke with standard party lines to support Ohio Issue 3, a constitutional amendment requiring photo ID to vote. However, she insists that the state must provide required identification to every eligible voter at no cost.

- Endorse Ohio Issue 3 requiring photo voter identification for election ballots.
- Guarantee free and accessible state identification for all eligible voters.

> “At the same time, as both a candidate and governor, I will fight to ensure that all eligible Ohio voters, regardless of party, can access the required identification easily and at no cost, so they can exercise their fundamental right and have their voices heard.”
> — Amy Acton, via [Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Amy_Acton)

**Vivek Ramaswamy:** No documented position in our sources

### Corporate governance and ESG

Salience: low

Ramaswamy strongly opposes ESG corporate policies and stakeholder capitalism, whereas Acton does not address ESG corporate governance in the provided sources.

**Amy Acton:** No documented position in our sources

**Vivek Ramaswamy:** Opposes ESG investing and stakeholder capitalism

Ramaswamy built his national profile opposing Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) criteria in corporate boardrooms and public pension funds. He argues companies should focus solely on profit and product excellence rather than political or social agendas.

- Authored Woke, Inc. and Capitalist Punishment attacking ESG investing and stakeholder capitalism.
- Co-founded Strive Asset Management to provide anti-ESG investment options.
- Advocates prohibiting state pension funds and banks from pursuing political agendas.

> “It demands that a small group of investors and CEOs determine what’s good for society, rather than our democracy at large.”
> — Vivek Ramaswamy, via [Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Vivek_Ramaswamy)

[View this race on 2026election.com](https://www.2026election.com/race/2026-governor-oh)