A new statewide poll in Ohio shows Republican Vivek Ramaswamy and Democrat Amy Acton essentially tied in the closely watched race for governor, underscoring the competitiveness of the contest less than six months before Election Day.
The survey, conducted by Bowling Green State University, found 48% of registered voters support Ramaswamy, while 47% support Acton, with 5% favoring another candidate.
Polling averages show a near-even split between the two candidates, reflecting a competitive political environment in a state that has trended Republican in recent years.
Ramaswamy, an entrepreneur and former 2024 presidential candidate, leads the Republican primary field.
More than three-quarters of Republican respondents in the Bowling Green survey said they support him, while 12% each support businessman Casey Putsch and former school board president Heather Hill, according to the poll.
Acton, a physician who previously served as director of the Ohio Department of Health under Gov. Mike DeWine, is running unopposed in the Democrat primary scheduled for May 5.
Early in-person voting began April 7 and will continue through May 3 ahead of the primary.
The poll also highlighted potential divisions within the GOP electorate.
Among Putsch supporters surveyed, 23% said they would write in his name in the November general election if he is not the nominee, while more than half said they would support Ramaswamy, and smaller shares said they would support Acton, choose another candidate or abstain.
The next governor will succeed DeWine, a Republican who is term-limited and cannot seek a third consecutive term under Ohio law.
DeWine, who won reelection in 2022 by a wide margin, has lukewarm approval ratings in the new poll.
Only 7% of respondents said they strongly approve of his job performance, while more than half expressed some level of disapproval.
Voter sentiment about the direction of the state is divided.
Forty-six percent of respondents said Ohio is on the wrong track, compared with 35% who believe it is headed in the right direction.
Both candidates have focused their campaigns heavily on economic concerns as they appeal to voters across the state.
"What can we deliver? Continually lower costs, bigger paychecks, better schools. A revival of that American dream, on this 250th anniversary of our Declaration of Independence," Ramaswamy said in a recent interview with Jesse Watters.
Acton struck a similar note in recent statements, writing on social media: "As governor, it will be my mission to bring down rising costs and end the corruption in Columbus so that hardworking Ohioans can get ahead again."
The race is expected to remain closely contested through November, with recent polling showing shifting margins and no clear front-runner as voters weigh competing visions for Ohio's economic and political future.
Bowling Green State University surveyed 1,000 voters from April 7-14, 2026, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.9 percentage points.
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.