When is Election Day?

The 2026 U.S. midterm general election is Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Early voting and mail-ballot calendars differ by state.

Is this the official candidate list for this governor’s race?

No. Map the Midterms is not an election office. Confirm qualified names with the Ohio Secretary of State and the official sample ballot for your address.

Are the poll numbers a forecast?

No. Tables show individual published surveys with the pollster, dates, sample, and a link. They are not a prediction and not an average unless a cited aggregator says so.

Not an official election website. Verify ballot and voting details with your state or county election office.

Governor

Ohio Governor — 2026

Ohio elects a governor on November 3, 2026. Republican entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy faces Democrat Amy Acton, a former state health director. Ohio lists governor and lieutenant governor as a joint ticket.

Cook Political Report: Tossup (August 20, 2026)

What this office is

A governor is the state’s chief executive. Typical duties include proposing a budget, signing or vetoing bills, appointing some officials, and commanding the state National Guard under state and federal law. Term length and term limits are set by each state’s constitution. Lieutenant-governor pairing, if any, follows that state’s ballot design. Ohio prints the governor and lieutenant governor as one ticket.

Why it matters in 2026

Cook rated the open Ohio governorship a toss-up as of August 2026. The office directs a large state government and shares a ballot with other statewide executive races. Wikipedia lists Rob McColley (R) and David Pepper (D) as running mates; confirm pairing on the official ballot.

Republican Gov. Mike DeWine is term-limited. The seat is open.

Treat running-mate names as reported pairings until you see them on a county sample ballot.

Candidates

Names below are declared or nominated figures reported as of mid-September 2026. Party labels identify tickets only. This is not an endorsement and not a certified list.

Vivek Ramaswamy

Republican

Republican nominee; running mate Rob McColley reported on Wikipedia

Ramaswamy is a biotechnology entrepreneur and author who sought the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. He is the 2026 Republican nominee for Ohio governor. Public biographies emphasize his business career and national campaign.

Published polls

Published surveys tagged to OH GovernorIndividual published surveys. Not a Map the Midterms average and not a prediction.
Pollster	Dates	Sample	Dem	Rep	Spread
Bowling Green State University / YouGov Newsweek, Vivek Ramaswamy vs. Amy Acton poll (BGSU/YouGov) · accessed September 17, 2026	Released Sep 16, 2026	1,000 LV · ±4.0	48Acton	45Ramaswamy	Acton +3

Questions readers ask

When is Election Day?: The 2026 U.S. midterm general election is Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Early voting and mail-ballot calendars differ by state.
Is this the official candidate list for this governor’s race?: No. Map the Midterms is not an election office. Confirm qualified names with the Ohio Secretary of State and the official sample ballot for your address.
Are the poll numbers a forecast?: No. Tables show individual published surveys with the pollster, dates, sample, and a link. They are not a prediction and not an average unless a cited aggregator says so.

Other Ohio guides

OH-09