Amy Acton Wins Ohio Governor’s Race, and Vivek Ramaswamy’s Concession Call Went to Voicemail

04 Nov 2026, 05:50 by Sari Moon · Thought Catalog

Jon Cherry / Getty Images

Updated 45 seconds ago, November 4, 2026

Amy Acton has won Ohio’s governor’s race, making her the first Democrat to win the seat in 20 years.

Vivek Ramaswamy and Amy Acton during the Ohio gubernatorial race. Photo by Michael M. Santiago / Getty Images / Jon Cherry.

Vivek Ramaswamy’s congratulations to the governor-elect went to voicemail after she didn’t pick up his concession call. In his election-night speech, he said his team “left her a message to congratulate her on her victory in this race.”

Vivek Ramaswamy addresses the Darke County Republican Party Hog Roast in Greenville, Ohio, on October 18, 2026, with 16 days left before the midterm elections. Photo by Michael M. Santiago / Getty Images.

The call followed a campaign in which Ramaswamy spent $4 million on an ad featuring Acton’s estranged mother, Donna Arthur, calling her daughter “a liar” and saying she “needs help.” The ad omitted that Arthur’s husband had been indicted in 1978 for raping Acton when she was 12. Arthur helped him flee, and he spent the rest of his life on the run.

Acton, Ohio’s former health director, says she hasn’t seen her mother since a court appearance following the 1978 arrest. The ad drew condemnation from Republicans and Democrats, and Acton called Ramaswamy a “danger” to Ohio.

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