Acton Leads Ramaswamy in Early Ohio Gubernatorial Poll

by J.D. Davidson

The 2026 Ohio race for governor might be closer than many may think, according to a new poll.

The poll, conducted by Hart Research on behalf of the Ohio Federation of Teachers, has Democrat Dr. Amy Acton, the former leader of the Ohio Department of Public of Health, a point ahead of ex-Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.

The two are currently the de facto nominees of the two parties.

No other Democratic candidates have declared, but former Congressman Tim Ryan and former Ohio House Minority Leader Allison Russo have expressed an interest.

Ramaswamy effectively ran off all other Republican challengers earlier this year when the state Republican Party endorsed him in May, nearly 18 months before the November 2026 election.

Shortly after, Attorney General Dave Yost, the first Republican to declare for governor, dropped out.

The Ohio Federation of Teachers poll showed Acton with a 46%-45% lead over Ramaswamy when likely voters were asked their preference in a gubernatorial election between the two.

The result is well within the poll’s margin of error of +/-3.5%. The poll surveyed 800 likely voters.

Action was the director of the Ohio Department of Public Health when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, telling Ohio University students in April 2024 that a meeting at the White House with the first Donald Trump administration reinforced her and Gov. Mike DeWine about decisions to basically close down the state.

Ramaswamy, a biotech entrepreneur, abandoned his presidential bid in January 2024 after finishing fourth in the Iowa Caucuses and eventually endorsed Trump.

He joined Elon Musk as part of Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency but left earlier this year to run for governor.

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An Ohio native, J.D. Davidson is a veteran journalist with more than 30 years of experience in newspapers in Ohio, Georgia, Alabama and Texas. He has served as a reporter, editor, managing editor and publisher. Davidson is a regional editor for The Center Square.
Photo “Amy Acton” by Amy Acton. Photo “Vivek Ramaswamy” by Vivek Ramaswamy.