By Mark Swanson | Thursday, December 11, 2025, 12:48 PM EST
A new Emerson College poll released on Thursday reveals a dramatic shift in the race for Ohio governor, with Democrat Amy Acton now holding a narrow lead over Republican Vivek Ramaswamy after months of Republican momentum.
Acton currently leads Ramaswamy by 46% to 45%, with 9% of voters undecided. This marks a significant reversal from August, when Ramaswamy held a commanding 49% to 39% advantage with 12% undecided.
Emerson College Polling analysis credits the turnaround primarily to women voters. In August, women split the race 44% for Ramaswamy and 42% for Acton, while men overwhelmingly favored Ramaswamy at 54% to 36%. Four months later, men continue to support Ramaswamy by a margin of 55% to 35%, but women have shifted decisively toward Acton, backing her at 56% to 37%.
The poll also shows the Ohio Senate race between Republican Jon Husted and former Democrat Sherrod Brown is now extremely tight. Husted, who was appointed to the Senate in January 2025 by Ohio Governor Mike DeWine to fill the seat vacated by JD Vance after Vance became vice president, has narrowed his lead from six points in August to a current margin of 49% to 46%, with 5% undecided.
For Ohio voters, economic concerns remain the top issue at 44%, followed by threats to democracy at 13%. Healthcare ranks third at 11%, housing affordability at 9%, immigration at 8%, and education at 7%.
When asked which party they trust more to make Ohio more affordable, 43% chose the Republican Party and 37% preferred the Democratic Party. Nineteen percent of voters expressed trust in neither party on this issue.
Emerson College Polling conducted its survey with 850 active registered voters from December 6 through 8, 2025, with a margin of error of +/- 3.3 percentage points at the 95% confidence level.
Mark Swanson has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
