Ohio Democrat Amy Acton will be the Buckeye State’s first Democratic governor in 15 years after her victory over Republican opponent Vivek Ramaswamy.
The Associated Press called the race for Acton at 10:49 p.m. She garnered 50.7% against Ramaswamy’s 46%, with 85% of the vote counted.
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The contest, considered by the Cook Political Report to be leaning toward Acton after Ramaswamy released the ad featuring Acton’s estranged mother two weeks before Election Day, was one of the prime pick-up opportunities for Democrats, with Gov. Mike DeWine (R-OH) term-limited.
Until the ad dropped, the race was largely dominated by coverage of Ramaswamy, a billionaire biotech entrepreneur, traveling around Ohio in a private plane compared to Acton, who was the director of the Ohio Department of Health at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, in a 2018 Jeep Wrangler.
But the ad with Acton’s mother, Donna Arthur, with whom the Democrat has not had a relationship since 1978 because their stepfather was indicted over allegations he raped the then-12-year-old Acton, raised the profile and stakes of their matchup.
Arthur and Acton’s stepfather, Cledith Arthur, then fled Ohio to avoid prosecution, with the pair remaining together until his death in 2004.
“It’s not easy for a mother to say this, but Amy has a serious problem,” Arthur said. “My daughter needs help, and she can’t help you if she needs help herself. People can change, but first they have to tell the truth, and my daughter still isn’t doing that.”
RAMASWAMY POURS $4 MILLION INTO AD FEATURING AMY ACTON’S ESTRANGED MOTHER
Even Republican strategists acknowledged that the ad helped to underscore Acton’s working-class background in a state where Democrats are trying to reconnect with those voters, some of whom have changed their allegiance from the Democratic Party to President Donald Trump.
At the same time, Acton ran an extremely cautious campaign, declining to debate Ramaswamy, not permitting cameras at her rallies, and sidestepping questions regarding her tenure as Ohio’s top public health official before she abruptly resigned, arguing she was under pressure to sign orders with which she did not agree.