Democratic candidate for Ohio governor, Amy Acton, left. (Campaign photo). On the right, Republican candidate for Ohio governor, Vivek Ramaswamy. (Getty Images.)
In November, Ohio’s two major parties are supporting gubernatorial candidates who have never previously held elected office. The last time something like this happened on either side of the aisle was almost 100 years ago, when Myers Y. Cooper represented the GOP in the 1928 election.
Both Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy and Democratic candidate Amy Acton say the contrast between them couldn’t be greater, and they’re mostly right. Both in terms of priorities, biography and behavior, they offer something completely different to voters.
But in the absence of a political history to draw on, voters are left with what candidates actually say to distinguish them.
Billionaire businessman Ramaswamy highlights his success and hopes to share it with Ohio voters.
A physician and public health leader, Acton sees echoes of her own struggles as a child struggling with homelessness in Ohio, barely making rent.
But Ohio promise? It looks quite similar.
Both claim they will reduce housing costs, health care costs and taxes.
Ramaswamy’s slogan “lower costs, higher payouts, better schools” would fit any candidate easily. Meanwhile, Acton claims he will “make Ohio affordable again,” borrowing – consciously or not – Donald Trump’s now-ubiquitous MAGA construct.
Acton promises an Ohio where “everyone has a fair chance,” while Ramaswamy pledges to “bring to life this peculiar idea we call the American Dream.”
In their victory speeches after last week’s primaries, the candidates focused on the same core concerns about the portfolio – housing, utility and tax costs are far too high. Looking ahead, voters are concerned that schools are not providing their children with opportunities to succeed.
Although the campaigns agree on the diagnosis, they offer very different treatments.
Two Ohio
Ramaswamy framed most of his victory speeches based on the possibility that Ohio voters might wake up after the November election.
Ohioans could wake up to lower utility bills because the state produces more energy, as well as lower property taxes and income taxes “because it’s your money, not the government’s.”
Ohio students would do better in reading and math because they haven’t been “indoctrinated with victim psychology,” and housing costs would go down because the Ramaswamy administration is “cutting red tape.”
“We can wake up in Ohio where we are more united because it is easier to connect with our neighbors and unite in the face of rising economic tides,” he said.
“This is Ohio where we can wake up in November and that’s where I will lead this state if they elect me in November.”
By contrast, he argued that if Acton succeeds, businesses will “smash” and flee, taxes will enhance by $21 billion and public schools will continue to “stifle the success of our students.”
But a Democrat doesn’t have to be responsible for companies leaving the state. Ramaswamy’s investment firm Strive Enterprises moved from Columbus to Dallas, Texas in November 2024
The alleged tax enhance that Ramaswamy maintains stems from Acton’s promise to forgive medical debt. Ramaswamy’s campaign simply multiplied the average debt by the number of Ohioans with medical debt to arrive at a figure of $15 billion. But that’s not how Acton’s idea would work. Like a similar program in Illinois, the state buys debt that goes to collections for a tiny fraction of its face value. Illinois program erased over $1.1 billion in debt and $10 million in state financing.
Vivek Ramaswamy is promising the largest property tax rollback in Ohio history, but massive questions remain
In a statement, campaign spokesman Evan Machan said: “This election gives Ohioans a clear choice: Liberal Amy Acton wants bigger government and more spending, which means higher taxes, while Vivek will fight for common-sense policies that deliver lower costs, higher wages and better schools.”
However, Ramaswamy did not specify how he would finance his positive vision of lower taxes, utility bills and housing costs.
Think tank Innovation Ohio estimated that reducing property taxes would cost $6.6 billion. Eliminating income taxes would also be exorbitant. In Tax year 2025they generated approximately $11 billion. Since Ohio’s severance taxes are already relatively low, it is unclear how the administration will promote energy production. If red tape stands in the way of housing, it hasn’t been addressed in nearly two decades of Republican leadership.
“This doesn’t add up”
On election night, Acton described a newborn couple from Clermont County she had talked about earlier on the campaign trail. They tried very challenging to afford a home, but after the premature birth of their twins, they were left with $300,000 in medical bills.
“And then the prices of groceries and gas go up – we all saw them go over five bucks, right? Her electric bill goes up. Her property taxes go up,” Acton said.
Acton added that the family’s school district even restricted its kindergarten curriculum.
“That’s what I’m talking about,” she said. “They’re doing everything right, but it’s not making any difference, which is why we’re fighting to make Ohio affordable again.”
To achieve this, Acton proposes a tax cut for working families – combining the earned income tax credit with a child tax credit of up to $1,000. Acton’s campaign says a married couple with two children earning $60,000 a year would receive a $1,778 tax credit. He also promises to “fully fund” public schools.
Democratic candidate for Ohio governor, Amy Acton, proposes a solution to the issue of health care costs
The campaign doesn’t specify how Acton plans to pay for these ideas, but there are some hints.
In an emailed statement, campaigners noted that state lawmakers have “for too long put the wealthiest Ohioans and corporations first” and that Ohio’s private school voucher program “sends billions of tax dollars to Ohioans to fund private schools with no accountability.”
It’s unclear whether rolling back recent income tax cuts and expanding Ohio’s voucher program would accomplish everything Acton promises, but it would be a start.
Acton criticized Ramaswamy as out of touch and not caring about himself. She pointed to past comments in which he called Medicare and Medicaid “mistakes,” downplayed affordability as a “buzzword” and said companies reward foreign and first-generation employees because Americans “choose mediocrity over perfection.”
“My opponent says people are lazy, mediocre and don’t work hard enough,” Acton said. “Well, I don’t know Ohioans and I know you don’t know Ohioans. We’re all working harder than ever.”
Libertarian program
Outside the party’s main battle is the libertarian candidate Don Kissick, who promises to “break the machine” and “restore freedom.”
His supports the campaign both an amendment to eliminate estate taxes and another to protect same-sex marriage, should the U.S. Supreme Court one day overturn its earlier ruling.
Kissick wants to reduce government regulation of the marijuana industry and strongly opposes Immigration and Customs Enforcement as an “unaccountable federal law enforcement agency.”
He argues that people here illegally should have a “straight and clear path” to obtaining legal status and be required to make good faith efforts to achieve that goal.
Kissick’s platform aims to end what he calls “corporate bribery.”
“For so long,” the campaign states, “politicians have been receiving corporate contributions from regulated monopolies in the utilities, health care, telecommunications and insurance sectors.”
Kissick would also bar lawmakers from serving as lobbyists for five years after leaving office.
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