Election 2026: Ohio Governor

Democratic health official Amy Acton leads Republican businessman Vivek Ramaswamy in the election to be Ohio’s next governor.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that, if the election were held today, 49% of Likely Ohio voters would vote for Acton, while 45% would vote for Ramaswamy. Four percent (4%) would vote for Libertarian candidate Donald C. Kissick, while three percent (3%) are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.) 

Incumbent Republican Gov. Mike DeWine is term-limited. No Democrat has been elected governor of Ohio since 2006, and Donald Trump carried the Buckeye State by an 11-point margin in 2024. 

Eighty-two percent (82%) of Ohio Democrats would vote for Acton while 82% of Republicans would vote for Ramaswamy. Among independent voters, Acton leads by an 18-point margin, 54% to 36%.

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The survey of 1,119 Ohio Likely Voters was conducted on October 27-31, 2026 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

The “gender gap” in the Ohio gubernatorial race is a net nine points. Women voters prefer Acton by a 48% to 46% margin, while men favor Ramaswamy, 50% to 43%.

Action is supported by 44% of whites, 77% of black voters, 59% of Hispanics and 62% of other minorities, while 49% of whites, 16% of black voters, 38% of Hispanics and 32% of other minorities would vote for Ramaswamy.

Acton leads 54% to 36% among voters under 30, while Ramaswamy leads 51% to 44% among those 65% and older.

Eighty-one percent (81%) of self-identified Very Liberal voters in Ohio support Acton, while 89% of Very Conservative voters prefer Ramaswamy. Among moderate voters, Acton leads 56% to 36%.

Unmarried voters favor Acton by a six-point margin, 50% to 44%, while Ramaswamy leads 52% to 42% among married voters. 

Breaking down the Ohio electorate by income categories, Acton leads by 12 points, 53% to 41%, among voters earning between $100,000 and $200,000 a year, while those with annual incomes between $50,000 and $100,000 prefer Ramaswamy by a 13-point margin, 53% to 40%.

Eighty-three percent (83%) of those who voted for Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election support Acton, while 79% of Trump voters favor Ramaswamy.

Ohio’s special election for a U.S. Senate seat is a tie between Incumbent Republican Sen. Jon Husted and former Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown. 

Democrat state auditor Rob Sand leads Republican businessman Zach Lahn in the race to replace outgoing Gov. Kim Reynolds in Iowa.

Additional information from this survey and a full demographic breakdown are available to the public as well as Platinum Members.

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