L: AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki; R: Carolyn Kaster/AP Photo.
Democrat Amy Acton will be Ohio’s next governor after defeating Republican Vivek Ramaswamy in what became one of the most closely watched — and nastiest — midterm election battles.
Decision Desk HQ called the Race for Acton at 10:30 p.m. ET, making official what many political observers believed to be a foregone conclusion leading into Tuesday.
Ramaswamy, a tech entrepreneur who ran in the 2024 GOP presidential primary, was already slipping behind Acton in the polling when he released an ad that immediately dominated the dialogue about the race and sparked national outrage.
The one-minute video featured Acton’s estranged mother Donna Arthur lambasting her daughter as a “liar” and urging viewers not to vote for her.
Acton has publicly spoken about her troubled childhood for years, well before she ran for office, including the reason her mother lost custody when she was 12: documented neglect and abuse, and, most horrifically, Acton’s stepfather, Cledith Arthur, sexually abusing her for years. Cledith Arthur was indicted for raping Acton, fled the state, and died while still a fugitive from justice. Donna Arthur sided with her husband against her daughter, stuck with him until his death, and has had not spoken to Acton since she lost custody.
National Review, Politifact, and other media outlets dug up the legal documents confirming Acton’s story, and several others found additional court records pertaining to Arthur, including past fraud convictions and one for animal neglect after several kittens died when she left them in a hot car.
MAGA influencers had initially tried to frame the ad as an October surprise that would sink Acton, but it was soon assessed as an anchor dragging Ramaswamy further down, drawing vociferous condemnation from a chorus of bipartisan voices, with many prominent conservatives declaring the ad made them more sympathetic towards Acton.
Still, President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Ramaswamy defended the ad. Ramaswamy’s campaign spent millions of dollars airing it on television amid the backlash, continuing to feed the story new oxygen.
The impact began to show in the polls, and several election prognosticators shifted their ratings of the race to the left in the final weeks of the election. Both Larry Sabato’s Crystal Ball and the Cook Political Report moved the race from Toss Up to Leans Democrat.
The Cleveland Plain Dealer reversed its endorsement policy to condemn Ramaswamy for the ad and to endorse Acton, calling on Ohioans to “[s]tand with decency,” “[r]eject the debasement Ramaswamy has brought to this campaign,” and [c]hoose the candidate who has poured her heart into serving Ohioans.”
As of Tuesday, the latest Real Clear Politics Polling Average had Acton up +4.5.
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