The Ohio governor’s race pits former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy against Democrat Amy Acton, a former state health advisor. Democrats see a chance to win a state that usually votes Republican.

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The race for Ohio’s governor pits biotech entrepreneur and former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy against Democrat Amy Acton, the state’s former health director. Ohio usually votes Republican, but this race is competitive. Sarah Donaldson with Ohio Public Media’s Statehouse News Bureau reports.

SARAH DONALDSON, BYLINE: Hours before this kickoff in Columbus, fans of the Ohio State Buckeyes have taken over asphalt lots and garages for tailgate parties. The Ohio State Women’s Glee Club is making its rounds, serenading fans grilling and eating.

UNIDENTIFIED WOMEN’S GLEE CLUB: (Vocalizing).

DONALDSON: Tailgaters in a sea of scarlet and gray who talk with me know who they’ll cast a ballot for or against.

JIM COY: There’s just no way in the world I would vote for Amy Acton.

DONALDSON: That’s Jim Coy (ph). He’s an electrician from a small city in north-central Ohio. The three-time Trump voter didn’t like Democratic nominee Amy Acton when she advised the governor on shutdowns as the state’s health director in 2020.

COY: I believe she’s hurt this state massively during COVID.

DONALDSON: Gretchen Conturo (ph), a healthcare worker and Democrat, says she’s voting for Acton.

GRETCHEN CONTURO: I want somebody who’s not going to be polarizing. I’m afraid Ramaswamy is going to be very polarizing.

DONALDSON: Neither Acton or Ramaswamy have been elected before. It’s something Acton mentions often, like at this August law enforcement union endorsement.

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AMY ACTON: As a doctor and not much of a politician – becoming one every day – but a lifelong public servant at the age of 60, I’m telling you, I will do everything to fight for the people who keep us safe and well.

DONALDSON: Both candidates want more data center restrictions, property tax relief, a gas tax break. Ramaswamy, who President Trump endorsed, has made eliminating the state’s income tax gradually a cornerstone.

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VIVEK RAMASWAMY: So I think when we take our income tax rate down to zero, we’re actually going to see more economic expansion. We’re going to see more sales tax revenue because more people are spending right here in Ohio.

DONALDSON: Both candidates also talk about 2020 a lot. Paul Sracic, an Ohio resident and senior fellow at the Washington D.C.-based Hudson Institute, says COVID is salient because of Acton’s work under Republican Governor Mike DeWine.

PAUL SRACIC: And she was kind of – fairly or not – the face of those restrictions early on in COVID because she stood next to Governor DeWine, who has defended her.

DONALDSON: As for Ramaswamy…

SRACIC: Can Vivek Ramaswamy capture those Republican votes, particularly the sort of working-class votes? He’s an odd candidate to appeal to those voters. He said things, for example, about, you know, H-1B visas and importing workers.

DONALDSON: Political groups for each candidate have launched attack ads. Republicans have rehashed a 2019 police report of a domestic disturbance at Acton’s home, where she admitted she had been drinking. She’s described the incident as, quote, “a normal marital fight.” But the Ohio GOP created AI-generated images of Acton’s car with a fake drunk-mom license plate. She calls the accusations of substance abuse lies, hate and vitriol.

And Democratic-backed ads slam Ramaswamy over investments in drugs for Alzheimer’s, labeling him a, quote, “conman and swindler.” He’s called the ads outright defamatory lies.

Christopher Devine, University of Dayton political science associate professor, says Acton’s prospects could depend on the national mood.

CHRISTOPHER DEVINE: Certainly, the biggest factor in her win – if it happens – would be a strong Democratic environment, or you might say a weak Republican environment.

DONALDSON: Ramaswamy, the son of Indian immigrants, would be the first person of Indian descent elected governor of the state. Acton would be the first woman elected governor here. Early voting starts October 6.

For NPR News, I’m Sarah Donaldson in Columbus, Ohio.

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