FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 5, 2025
Contact: Neil Bhaerman, nbhaerman@oft-aft.org, 412-266-4899
OFT Poll: Ohio Governor’s Race a Toss Up; Acton Outpaces Ramaswamy on Favorability
COLUMBUS — Dr. Amy Acton is statistically tied with presumptive GOP nominee Vivek Ramaswamy in the race for Governor of Ohio, while holding a double digit lead in net favorability, according to polling conducted by Hart Research on behalf of the Ohio Federation of Teachers. The survey of 800 likely voters also found, in stark contrast to the opinions of many political commentators, that voters are more likely to support Dr. Acton for Governor after being reminded of her experience protecting Ohio’s public health during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. A memo detailing the poll’s findings can be read here.
Acton, with a +14 net favorability rating, is viewed more favorably by Ohio voters than Ramaswamy, who has just a +1 net favorability rating. Among independent voters, Acton is at +21, while Ramaswamy is at -14. When voters are asked their preference in a potential gubernatorial election between Acton and Ramaswamy, Acton leads by 1 point with 46% to Ramswamy’s 45%, which is within the poll’s margin of error. Acton has significant leads among independents (+21), suburban voters (+13), and women (+14). The poll’s respondents were 49% Republicans, 41% Democrats, and 10% independent voters.
“Our members — teachers, school support workers, library workers, higher education faculty, social workers, and others — are very concerned about Vivek Ramaswamy’s extreme views which include defunding public services by eliminating Ohio’s income tax and abolishing collective bargaining for teachers,” said Melissa Cropper, President of the Ohio Federation of Teachers. “This polling shows that our members are not alone in seeking a candidate who will lift up Ohio workers and communities instead of one focused on tearing us down and pitting us against each other.”
The poll also found that Acton’s experience as Director of the Ohio Department of Health is not a weakness, and instead may even be beneficial to her campaign. After hearing that “as Ohio's Director of Public Health, Dr. Acton led the state's response to the COVID pandemic,” 47% of voters felt more favorable toward her, with only 32% feeling less favorable. Even after being reminded of some of the least popular COVID mitigation measures (“Dr. Acton made decisions to mandate mask-wearing and social distancing, temporarily close businesses, and temporarily close schools”), slightly more voters had a positive reaction (43% more favorable, 40% less).
“There were no easy decisions during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Acton, a Democrat serving under Republican Governor Mike DeWine, made the tough, and sometimes unpopular, decisions that were needed to protect our families and communities,” said Shari Obrenski, President of the Cleveland Teachers Union and OFT’s First Vice President. “Cynical pundits have claimed Ohio voters will hold this against her, but this data shows that there are just as many, if not more, voters who are grateful and more likely to support her due to her leadership on public health.”
In total, the poll’s findings show real vulnerabilities in Ramaswamy’s campaign. Despite an 8-point advantage in party identification and significantly higher name recognition, Ramaswamy has been unable to establish a lead over Acton. His deficit with independent voters and suburban voters shows that he is losing ground among the voters who are most likely to determine the election.
“As Ohio voters learn about Vivek Ramaswamy and his record, he loses support. Voters like him less when they learn that he wants to eliminate unions for school teachers and other public employees and that he supports the Trump Administration’s legislative centerpiece that cuts taxes for the rich while cutting public education spending for the rest of us,” said Kevin Dalton, President of the Toledo Federation of Teachers and member of OFT’s Executive Committee. “When voters learn more about Amy Action, including her record of bipartisanship, her support for public education, and her personal journey working her way out of poverty and putting herself through college and medical school, she gains support.”
A memo detailing the poll’s findings can be read here.
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