Ohio governor 2026

Compare candidates running in this Ohio federal race. Review their positions, voting records, campaign promises, and donor information.

Casey Putsch

Party: Republican

Heather Hill

Party: Republican

Dr. Amy Acton

Party: Democrat

Vivek Ramaswamy

Party: Republican

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Ohio governor

Election: Nov 3, 2026Updated: Apr 10, 2026
lean r★ Flip Potential— Cook Political Report (March 19, 2026)

Ohio has been a battleground state historically, and this 2026 governor's race represents a potential opportunity for Democrats to retake statewide office for the first time since 2006. The race has tightened dramatically in late 2025, with December polling from Emerson showing Amy Acton leading Republican Vivek Ramaswamy 46%-45%, signaling vulnerability for what was considered a likely Republican seat.

Casey PutschR
Heather HillR
Dr. Amy ActonD
Vivek RamaswamyR

Summary

Casey Putsch is a car designer and founder of the Genius Garage nonprofit educational program in northwestern Ohio. A native of Tiffin, Ohio, and Ohio State University graduate with a degree in industrial design, Putsch has built a career in racing, vehicle restoration, and mentoring young engineers. He founded Genius Garage in 2013 as a 501(c)(3) educational program where college students gain professional skills in engineering, design, and racing, leading to employment at companies like Lockheed Martin and Tesla. He is running in the 2026 Republican primary, positioning himself as an 'America First' outsider challenging frontrunner Vivek Ramaswamy.

Heather Hill is a businesswoman and former Morgan County School Board president running in the Republican primary for governor. She grew up in Appalachia and owns a small business called Ohio Hunting Lodge, which she started with her husband Darrin in 2015. Hill has a background in nursing and education, earning her bachelor's degree from Ohio University. She is running as the 'working-class answer' to what Ohioans need, emphasizing mental health training for law enforcement, small business support, and housing affordability.

Dr. Amy Acton is the former director of the Ohio Department of Health and a physician with public health expertise. She grew up in Youngstown, Ohio, under difficult circumstances and is the Democratic candidate for Ohio governor in 2026. She would be the first woman elected governor of Ohio if she wins. Acton served alongside Republican Governor Mike DeWine during the COVID-19 pandemic, earning national attention for Ohio's early response. She resigned from her official position as health director in June 2020 due to disagreements with Republican legislators over pandemic restrictions, and later left her position as chief health advisor to DeWine in August 2020.

Vivek Ganapathy Ramaswamy is a Cincinnati-born entrepreneur, former presidential candidate, and founder of Roivant Sciences (a biotechnology company) and Strive Asset Management (an asset management firm opposing ESG principles). Born to Hindu immigrant parents from India, he graduated from Harvard University with a biology degree and earned a law degree from Yale University. In 2024, he ran as a Republican presidential candidate before withdrawing to endorse Donald Trump. He received Trump's endorsement and the Ohio Republican Party's endorsement for the 2026 gubernatorial race. His net worth is estimated at $2.4 billion as of March 2026.

View Casey Putsch's Full Profile →View Heather Hill's Full Profile →View Dr. Amy Acton's Full Profile →View Vivek Ramaswamy's Full Profile →

Campaign Promises

Economy
  • Support Ohio-based innovation
Housing
  • Make housing more affordable across the state
Other
  • End Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs
  • Enforce responsible leadership on artificial intelligence and data centers
Public-Safety
  • Build law enforcement training facility for mental illness response
Economy
  • Address housing crisis and support small businesses
  • Abolish property taxes
Other
  • Represent Ohio's middle class
Economy
  • Lower costs for Ohioans on everyday expenses
  • Crack down on predatory practices and unseen fees
  • Address property taxes and tax code reform
Healthcare
  • Reduce prescription drug costs through Ohio Rx platform
  • Cut red tape for Medicaid enrollment
Education
  • Fully fund public schools
Public-Safety
  • Improve public safety
Other
  • Crack down on rampant corruption in Ohio's Statehouse
Economy
  • Lower taxes and electric bills
  • Roll back property taxes to pre-pandemic levels
  • Attract low-cost, dependable industries to Ohio
  • Reduce government regulations and eliminate red tape
Education
  • Improve education statewide and put parents in driver's seat

Key Issue Positions

Working-Class Leadership
Putsch describes himself as the 'working-class answer' to what Ohioans need, emphasizing his background in automotive trades and education.
He positions himself as an outsider who understands working people's struggles.
Data Centers and Foreign Labor
Putsch's campaign highlights concerns about foreign labor replacing American workers and the impact of data centers on communities.
He addresses anxieties about economic displacement and foreign competition.
Affordability
Putsch focuses on making housing and overall living costs more affordable for Ohioans.
He emphasizes practical economic concerns facing ordinary families.
Mental Health and Law Enforcement
Hill emphasizes better training for law enforcement when dealing with people with mental illness, driven by personal loss of two foster children in law enforcement-related incidents.
She says law enforcement officers encouraged her to run for governor to help address these issues.
Housing and Economic Development
Hill focuses on solving Ohio's housing crisis and reducing regulatory burden on businesses to attract and retain companies.
She emphasizes that cutting red tape and making the state business-friendly are central to her campaign.
Data Centers and Community Impact
Hill raises concerns about data centers being built across Ohio without community support or knowledge.
She sees this as a warning sign about government responsiveness to citizens.
Second Amendment Rights
Hill strongly supports gun rights, stating in her campaign biography that she and her husband own 'arms of every kind' because they believe in the 'God-given right to protect yourself, your family, and your home.'
She promises to defend this right 'from extremists who want to take it away.'
Healthcare and Health Policy
Acton prioritizes affordability of healthcare, reducing prescription drug costs, and ensuring access to care. She opposes Ramaswamy's proposals that could cut funding to healthcare.
As former health director, Acton has deep expertise in healthcare policy and has consistently made healthcare affordability central to her campaign messaging.
Corruption and Ethics
Acton opposes the rampant corruption in Ohio's Statehouse, directly referencing the HB6 FirstEnergy scandal and other pay-to-play dynamics.
She argues the Republican-controlled government prioritizes special interests and billionaires over working families, pointing to budget priorities that give tax breaks to the wealthy.
Education Funding
Acton commits to fully funding public schools, contrasting her approach with what she views as Republican under-investment.
She criticizes the last budget for solving problems of special interests while not addressing public school needs.
Political Tone and Civility
Acton calls for moving beyond 'extreme ideologies and special interests and culture wars' and for people to 'join arms' and 'find their way back to one another.'
She frames her campaign as a departure from the divisive politics associated with Ramaswamy's 2024 presidential campaign rhetoric.
Affordability and Cost of Living
Ramaswamy emphasizes lowering costs through tax cuts and reducing regulatory burdens. He opposes Acton's spending-heavy proposals.
His campaign centers on affordability for Ohioans, with his wife appearing in ads saying he wants families to afford their homes, groceries, and future.
Education
Supports school choice, parental empowerment, raising academic standards, and career-technical education. Opposes what he calls 'woke indoctrination.'
His campaign highlights business experience with education, though he proposed controversial ideas like ending summer break and consolidating Ohio universities.
Cultural and Social Issues
Anti-'woke' ideology, opposes diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, and has criticized ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) investing in his private business.
During his 2024 presidential campaign, he invoked 'great replacement theory' and proposed ending birthright citizenship. In his 2026 gubernatorial campaign, he has adopted a more measured tone but still opposes DEI initiatives.

Top Donors

No donor data available.

No donor data available.

No donor data available.

No donor data available.

Contradictions

No contradictions documented.

No contradictions documented.

No contradictions documented.

Claim: I will lead Ohio by winning next year's general election with a 'big tent coalition' ranging from Reagan Democrats to libertarians and constitutional Republicans
Contradiction: Ramaswamy's 2024 presidential campaign invoked 'great replacement theory' and proposed ending birthright citizenship for children of undocumented immigrants—both positions viewed as divisive rather than unifying. During his current gubernatorial campaign, Democratic candidate Amy Acton's team shared a video of Ramaswamy's 2024 post arguing U.S. engineers were losing jobs because 'our American culture has venerated mediocrity over excellence for way too long,' concluding with the text 'Vivek Ramaswamy thinks you're lazy.'
Claim: I support cutting property taxes
Contradiction: At his February 2025 campaign launch, Ramaswamy announced he would 'abolish property taxes,' but later walked back this position in March 2026, clarifying he would only 'roll back' property taxes to pre-pandemic levels and developing an 'independent view' on how to do so.

What Opponents Say

No opponent claims documented.

No opponent claims documented.

Vivek Ramaswamy's campaign (Connie Luck, spokeswoman)

Liberal Amy Acton's agenda means billions in new spending, higher taxes, and bigger government—with working families left holding the bag.

Ramaswamy campaign response to Acton's affordability plan in April 2026

Ohio Republican Party Chairman Alex Triantifilou

Amy Acton shut down the schools, kept you from taking care of your family in nursing homes, and then she ultimately quit on Ohio.

Criticism of Acton's pandemic response during campaign event in September 2025

Amy Acton

Vivek Ramaswamy's policies are devastating for Ohio's families and would make life even more unaffordable. His tax scheme to eliminate property and income taxes will gut schools, healthcare and public safety. He is a billionaire who would make Ohio more expensive and less safe while he flies above it all in his private jet.

Acton's campaign issued this statement in response to Ramaswamy's tax cutting proposals in March 2026

Amy Acton

I think he's frankly a danger, a real danger, his leadership, to Ohio because he has no idea how to do this.

Acton responding to Ramaswamy's proposals in April 2026

Endorsements

No endorsements listed.

No endorsements listed.

U.S. Senator Sherrod Brownindividual
David Pepperindividual
Donald Trumpindividual
Ohio Republican Partyorganization
Jon Hustedindividual
Mike DeWineindividual