DeWine Calls Ramaswamy Ad "Deeply, Deeply Troubling" as Acton Holds a Lead in New Poll

The governor kept his endorsement, Trump called him "disloyal," and Acton outraised Ramaswamy more than 2-to-1 in the latest reports.

By Richthrax · Oct. 25, 2026

With nine days left before the Nov. 3 election, Ohio's race for governor turned this week on a single television ad.

On Oct. 20, Vivek Ramaswamy's campaign confirmed that a leaked ad featuring Democrat Amy Acton's estranged mother, who disputes Acton's public account of her childhood, belongs to the campaign, the Statehouse News Bureau reported. The campaign announced a $4 million statewide buy. Campaign spokesperson Connie Luck called Acton "a serial fabulist." Acton's brother said in a statement released by her campaign that she is telling the truth.

Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican who has endorsed Ramaswamy, criticized the ad at the Statehouse on Oct. 22. "It's just wrong," DeWine said, calling it "deeply, deeply troubling," but he said his endorsement stands. President Donald Trump then called DeWine "a RINO" and "disloyal" on Truth Social. Asked about it, DeWine said, "I have no comment on that comment," Dayton 24/7 Now reported.

Libertarian nominee Don Kissick called on Ramaswamy to withdraw from the race.

At an Obama rally in Cleveland on Saturday, Acton said her opponent was using her childhood to rescue his campaign and that "it's not going to work," Ideastream reported. At a Republican bus-tour stop in Monroe the same morning, running mate Rob McColley called Acton a "liar" and a "quitter," the Dayton Daily News reported.

The polls

A Marist poll released Oct. 20, taken Oct. 15–18, found:

Among all registered voters, Marist had Brown ahead by 9 points.

Other recent Senate polls are closer. ActiVote, surveying 400 likely voters from Sept. 26 to Oct. 18, had Husted at 50.2% and Brown at 49.8%, within its ±4.9-point margin. A Rasmussen poll had Husted ahead 49% to 47%, while CNN, released Oct. 8, had Brown up 49% to 43% among likely voters.

The money

Governor. In reports covering through Oct. 14, Acton raised $3.9 million and had $3.6 million on hand, while Ramaswamy raised $1.5 million and had $2.4 million on hand, according to State Affairs reporting. Ramaswamy's committee owes him $41.3 million in loans he has made to his own campaign.

Senate. Brown's campaign says it raised more than $28.2 million in the third quarter, $23.1 million to his campaign committee and $5.1 million to affiliated committees. Husted raised about $4.8 million for his campaign and about $3.2 million through a joint fundraising committee, Spectrum News reported. Neither report published so far gave cash on hand.

Outside groups are spending heavily too. The Despoiler's Outside Money in Ohio tracker has logged $249.5 million in outside money tied to Ohio's races.

Also on the ballot

Statewide Issue 3 would add a requirement for government-issued photo ID to vote in person to the Ohio Constitution. Ohio law already requires photo ID; the amendment would make it harder to change.

How to vote early in Montgomery County, and the deadlines this week →