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By August, Vivek Ramaswamy had raised $9.7 million in the opening months of his campaign for Ohio governor, compared to $1.4 million from Democrat Amy Acton. With Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel stepping aside, Ramaswamy now stands as the leading Republican contender in the 2026 race.
Tressel announced this week that he would not seek the governor’s office, ending months of speculation that he might challenge Ramaswamy . Tressel, a former Ohio State University football coach and Youngstown State University president, had been seen as a popular outsider with bipartisan appeal in a state that is largely divided along party lines. DeWine appointed him lieutenant governor in February after naming Jon Husted to fill Vice President J.D. Vance’s vacant Senate seat. DeWine later tried, unsuccessfully, to delay the state party’s endorsement of Ramaswamy in hopes of giving Tressel more time to decide.
On September 19, 2025, Tressel said in a statement, “I believe that our crucial opportunities in the areas of education and workforce deserve my full attention for the remainder of our term. My goal is to help finish the amazing work started by the DeWine-Husted administration. Ohio is winning and must continue.”
This decision solidifies Ramaswamy’s status as the party’s nominee-in-waiting as there are no remaining high-profile Republicans considering to run. Attorney General Dave Yost and Treasurer Robert Sprague both dropped out earlier this year as the party rallied behind the former presidential candidate. Ramaswamy already has the endorsement of both President Donald Trump and the Ohio Republican Party, and he has outraised any potential competitors by a large margin. Ramaswamy’s latest campaign filings show $9.7 million in contributions since February. About 60 percent of that came from Ohio donors, and around 98 percent of donations were from individuals with an average contribution of $116.
“This is the biggest fundraising I’ve seen this early in an Ohio governor’s race,” said GOP strategist, Bob Clegg. “People are backing Vivek because they think he can win, and because he’s running like a frontrunner.”
On the Democratic side, Dr. Amy Acton, the former Director of the Ohio Department of Health, has raised $1.4 million. Over 80 percent of her funding came from within Ohio, and about 96 percent of donations were from individuals with an average contribution of $40. Acton became a familiar figure to Ohioans during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic as the OHD director. She is the only Democrat officially in the race for now, but the party is still waiting for a decision from former U.S. Representative Tim Ryan. Former Senator Sherrod Brown, once viewed as a top potential contender, has opted to run for Senate again in 2026 against Husted.
With the GOP united behind Ramaswamy, Democrats are looking for a candidate who can energize the base and raise funds. Some believe Acton can do that, though others see Ryan as the stronger candidate due to his wider name recognition.
Polls conducted over the summer show Ramaswamy holding a single-digit lead over both Acton and Ryan. An Emerson College poll from August showed him up 9 points on Acton and 7 points on Ryan. A separate July poll from Impact Research showed a much tighter race, with Ramaswamy leading Acton by just 1 point.
On social media, the tension between Vivek Ramaswamy and Amy Acton is already beginning to show. Acton posted on Instagram and X criticizing Ramaswamy for using a private jet during his campaign and alleged that he spent $160,000 of campaign funds on his own private jet charter company. She contrasted that with her own travel, saying she has been campaigning across Ohio in her Jeep. Ramaswamy, in a separate post, reposted a statement labeling Acton as a “deeply flawed candidate.”
For now, Ramaswamy holds the financial and name recognition upper hand. Though with more than a year to go before Election Day, Democrats still have time to regroup and build momentum. Ohio has not elected a Democratic governor since 2006, but Acton will fight her hardest to change this. For this race, the primary election, set for March 2026, will determine each party’s nominee for governor.
Registered voters from each party choose their preferred candidate to represent them in the general election, being held in November 2026, when voters across Ohio will decide the next governor. All eligible voters should visit this website and ensure they are ready to participate in this election: https://www.ohiosos.gov/
