It is a tight race in Ohio’s gubernatorial battle between Republican businessman Vivek Ramaswamy and Democrat Amy Acton, a recent Bowling Green State University (BGSU) survey found.
The survey analyzed the state of the races in Ohio, and across the board it is neck and neck. It asked respondents if they plan to support the Democratic candidate or the Republican candidate on the ballot in their individual district, and Democrats held the edge by just one point — 48 percent to the GOP’s 47 percent.
More specifically, the survey asked respondents whom they plan to support in Ohio’s 2026 governor’s race, and Acton — the former Director of the Ohio Department of Health — led Ramaswamy by three percentage points, seeing 48 percent to the Republican’s 45 percent support. However, when asked who they believe will win the race, regardless of personal preference, Ramaswamy saw a double digit advantage. Most, 62 percent, believe he will win, compared to 36 percent who said the same of Acton.
The survey also examined the Senate race, which once again showed a tight battle, this time with Republican Sen. Jon Husted (R-OH) with a three point advantage (48 percent support) over his Democrat challenger, former Sen. Sherrod Brown (45 percent support).
Once again, when asked who they believe will win regardless of preference, a majority, 53 percent, said the Republican will win the Senate race, while just 45 percent said the same of Brown.
Further, the survey showed the economy and inflation topping the list of most important issues in the state of politics today, followed by government corruption, health care, threats to democracy, and immigration.
Most Ohioans surveyed, 61 percent, also said the they believe the country is on the wrong track, and another majority, 52 percent, believe Ohio is on the wrong track as well.
Coinciding with that is the reality that 44 percent say their economic situation has gotten either somewhat or much worse compared to 39 percent who said it has stayed “about the same” and just 17 percent who say it has gotten somewhat or much better.
The poll was taken September 1-10, 2026, among 1,000 likely Ohio voters. It has a +/- 4 percent margin of error, putting both the Senate race and gubernatorial race up in the air, as both leads are within that margin.
Acton has said that the Buckeye State stands as “ground zero” in the fight for the country. She also refuses to debate Ramaswamy in the governor’s race, with her campaign manager asserting it would be “platforming a scam artist who spreads baseless lies.”
As for the Senate race, the Cook Political Report currently categorizes the Senate race as a tossup.
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