New Ohio poll: Acton edges Ramaswamy 48–44, and the ad about her mother changed few minds
Editorial illustration — Press Pass USAA new Suffolk University–USA TODAY poll of Ohio voters finds Democrat Amy Acton narrowly ahead of Republican Vivek Ramaswamy in the governor's race — and finds that Ramaswamy's controversial ad featuring Acton's estranged mother changed very few minds.
In the poll, conducted October 21–26 among 500 likely voters with a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points, Acton led Ramaswamy 48% to 44%, with Libertarian Don Kissick at 3.6%. The race is effectively too close to call within the margin of error. In a 300-voter Portage County subset, a longtime bellwether county, Acton led 47.3% to 46.7%.
Nearly three-quarters of those polled, 72%, had seen or heard about the ad within days of its release. But it moved almost no one: seven respondents said the ad caused them to switch from Ramaswamy to Acton, while only one said it switched them from Acton to Ramaswamy. The poll also found 54.2% held an unfavorable view of Ramaswamy, up from 52.2% in last month's poll, while Acton's unfavorable rating was unchanged at about 41%. Respondents were far more likely to say Ramaswamy was running a negative campaign, 49.8%, than Acton, 15.2%.
Ramaswamy launched the ad October 22 featuring Acton's estranged mother, Donna Arthur, accusing her daughter of lying about her past. Acton has not spoken to her mother since 1978, when her stepfather was charged with sexually abusing a young Acton. Republican Gov. Mike DeWine and former Gov. John Kasich called on Ramaswamy to take the ad down, but he doubled down, spending more than $4 million to air it through Election Day, and President Donald Trump encouraged him to keep running it. Election Day is November 3.
Sources: The Columbus Dispatch, reporting the Suffolk University–USA TODAY Ohio poll (Oct 28, 2026).
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