Ramaswamy takes his Ohio governor campaign to rural Monroe County as polls show Acton ahead

With 16 days left in Ohio's race for governor Republican Vivek Ramaswamy spent Saturday evening in one of the reddest corners of the state. He held a town hall in Woodsfield in Monroe County in Appalachian Ohio. The county went for President Donald Trump by close to 80 percent in 2024.

A base turnout message

Fellow statewide candidate Jay Edwards introduced Ramaswamy and said getting Republicans to the polls is the party's top worry. The stop shows how Republicans in many states are trying to energize their base in a hard political climate.

Ramaswamy leaned into the region's identity. He told the crowd he would not govern only for the Columbus area and called rural Ohio the "backbone" of the state. He promised to be the most conservative governor in Ohio history and said earlier party leaders had not been bold enough.

The former presidential candidate and short-lived head of the federal Department of Government Efficiency also attacked his Democratic rival. He described Amy Acton as the possible first socialist governor of Ohio. She rejects that label.

The debate fight

Ramaswamy kept returning to the fact that Acton has declined to debate him. He said a candidate who will not debate cannot lead the state. Acton has defended her choice and has called him a chronic liar. The two are competing to succeed term-limited Republican Gov. Mike DeWine.

Polls favor Acton

A new statewide university poll conducted with YouGov has Acton ahead 50 percent to 44 percent. In the Senate race former Sen. Sherrod Brown leads Sen. Jon Husted 48 percent to 42 percent. Ohio voters in that poll gave the president a 39 percent approval rating in a state he carried by 11 points in 2024. Polling averages show Acton ahead by about four to five points.

Acton is a former state health director. If she wins she would be the first Democrat to win the governor's race since 2006. If Ramaswamy wins he would become the first Indian American to lead the state.

The poll found Democrats leading among young voters and women and college graduates and voters of color. About a tenth of people who voted Republican in 2024 said they plan to back Acton and Brown. Almost none of the 2024 Democratic voters said they would back the Republicans. Early voting is already open in Ohio and election day is Nov. 3.