📍 Zogby: Acton up 9 in Ohio as governor race shifts after attack-ad backlash
Illustration: Press Pass USADemocrat Amy Acton led Republican Vivek Ramaswamy by 9 points in Ohio in a poll conducted Wednesday and Thursday, pollster John Zogby said Sunday, as the state's governor race continues to move in Acton's direction after backlash over a Ramaswamy attack ad.
“By the time the poll was averaged over the two nights, Amy Acton was up by 9 and Sherrod Brown by 11 or 12,” Zogby told Newsmax's “Sunday Agenda” on October 25, referring also to the Senate race. He said Acton and Brown initially held smaller leads before the survey's second night, and argued that personal attack ads can backfire on the candidates they are meant to help.
Zogby's survey is one pollster's snapshot, not an official result, and it comes days after two major nonpartisan forecasters shifted the governor's race. The Cook Political Report and Sabato's Crystal Ball both moved the contest from toss-up to “lean Democrat,” the Columbus Dispatch reported October 23.
The shift followed Ramaswamy's campaign confirming it would spend $4 million to air an ad featuring Acton's estranged mother, Donna Stearns Arthur, calling her daughter a liar. Gov. Mike DeWine condemned the ad and asked for it to come down, while President Donald Trump defended it as “very powerful” and urged Ramaswamy to keep it on air, the Dispatch reported.
Ohio voters decide the governor's race on November 3, alongside the Senate contest between Brown and incumbent Sen. Jon Husted.
Sources: Newsmax, John Zogby interview (Oct 25, 2026); Columbus Dispatch (Oct 23, 2026); Cook Political Report and Sabato's Crystal Ball, via the Dispatch.
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