FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
July 10, 2026
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RATINGS CHANGE: Cook Political Report Shifts Ohio Governor’s Race to Toss-Up, Points to “Clear Likeability Problem”
COLUMBUS, OH— Today, the Cook Political Report announced it has moved the Ohio governor’s race from “Lean Republican” to “Toss-Up,” a shift reflecting the grassroots energy seen on the ground, enthusiasm for Dr. Acton’s commitment to common sense leadership, and Team Acton’s record-breaking fundraising totals.
This is the first time since 2018 that the Ohio governor’s race has been rated as Toss-Up.
READ MORE: Ohio: Lean Republican to Toss Up
- The open Ohio contest moves from Lean Republican to Toss Up despite Republican Vivek Ramaswamy’s significant spending edge.
- Biotech entrepreneur and 2024 presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has a clear likability problem with Ohio voters, even some in his own party; in May, nearly 20% of GOP primary voters picked an unknown candidate who spent no money on the race.
- The race has remained tied even after Ramaswamy spent at least $13.4 million on positive ads designed to boost his image. Now, Ramaswamy and his super PAC are up with $7.1 million in negative ads attacking Acton over COVID-19 regulations.
- High-quality polling available after a few weeks of airtime has still shown Acton narrowly ahead or tied. A New York Times/Siena poll last week showed the two knotted up at 47%, but showed Acton winning independents by 28 points and even taking 6% of Republican voters and 8% of Trump voters.
- A bipartisan poll for the AARP by Impact Research/Fabrizio Ward gave Acton a three point lead (47%-44%); it also found Ramaswamy’s image deeply underwater with independents and voters under 50.
- Ohio Republicans we talked to are not optimistic about Ramaswamy and believe it’s a very tight race. “This was the wrong guy to roll the dice with in this political environment,” one GOP source told us.
- Unable to bolster his own image so far, Ramaswamy will have to spend millions to try to dent Acton’s image before she can reintroduce herself.
- It’s also worth noting that bottomless coffers like Ramaswamy enjoys have not guaranteed wins for other recent self-funders this cycle.
“This rating shift reflects what Dr. Acton hears on the ground everyday: Ohioans are ready for change,” said Campaign Manager Philip Stein. “Ohioans know that Dr. Acton is the only candidate in this race who will lower costs, tackle the cost of corruption, and build an Ohio where all of us can get ahead. While Vivek Ramaswamy is far from Ohio, globetrotting aboard his private jet, Dr. Acton is fighting for a state where all of us can thrive.”
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