Vivek Ramaswamy super PAC admits spreading false claims about Amy Acton in Ohio race

A super PAC backing Vivek Ramaswamy in the Ohio governor’s race has admitted to distributing false statements about his Democratic opponent, Dr Amy Acton, just as polling shows the contest tightening to a dead heat.

The admission from V-PAC, the political action committee supporting Ramaswamy, follows an analysis by the newsletter Popular Information into a campaign mailer sent to Ohio voters. The mailer claimed the State Medical Board of Ohio had called Acton "incompetent" during her medical career. In reality, state board records show no such finding, and one of Acton's former residency advisers described her medical knowledge as "excellent".

A spokesperson for the super PAC conceded that the group had pushed false claims regarding Acton's medical licence. The spokesperson did not respond to queries about other disputed details on the literature.

The Democratic Governors Association seized on the admission. Organisation spokesperson Izzi Levy called the mailer part of a pattern of "desperate lies and easily disprovable smears".

A sudden shift in the polls

The campaign controversy arrives at a critical moment in what is shaping up to be one of the most closely watched races of the midterms.

For weeks, Acton had maintained a steady lead. But a new poll conducted by co/efficient on 5 and 6 October showed Ramaswamy leading Acton by two percentage points, taking 45 per cent of the vote to her 43 per cent among 925 likely voters. With a margin of error of 3.49 percentage points, the candidates are effectively tied.

Before the co/efficient survey, Acton had won five polls in a row. A CNN/SSRS poll conducted between late September and early October showed her leading Ramaswamy by eight points, 50 per cent to 42 per cent. Other polls from the New York Times and Siena University, YouGov, Suffolk University, and Marist University had also put Acton ahead by margins ranging from four to nine points.

Why the Ohio race matters

Ohio was once a premier swing state, but it has drifted steadily to the right over the last decade. Donald Trump won the state by 11 points in the 2024 presidential election. If Acton wins, she will become the first Democrat to hold the Ohio governor's mansion since Ted Strickland left office in 2007.

The race is currently classified as a pure toss-up by non-partisan forecasters, including the Cook Political Report and Sabato’s Crystal Ball.

Neither candidate has ever held elected political office. Acton, a physician, gained widespread recognition as Ohio’s health director under Republican Governor Mike DeWine during the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Ramaswamy, a biotech entrepreneur, rose to national prominence during his run for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. He was later selected by Donald Trump to co-lead the new Department of Government Efficiency, though he stepped down early on to launch his gubernatorial campaign.

With early voting already underway, both campaigns are fighting for a dwindling pool of undecided voters. Acton has focused on building support among independents and young voters, where polls show her holding significant leads, while Ramaswamy is relying on strong support from the Republican base and a personal endorsement from Trump.