Billionaire biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy has clinched the Republican nomination for Ohio governor and will face off this fall against the state’s COVID-era health director, Democrat Amy Acton.
A newcomer to state politics, Ramaswamy aggressively positioned himself for the job early with the help of endorsements from President Donald Trump and the state Republican Party.
Trump’s endorsement continues to carry weight in Ohio, which favored him three times for president, but Ramaswamy could face headwinds amid the president’s lagging popularity over the war in Iran and the rising cost of living.
Acton, a physician who was unopposed in her primary, has a well-known public profile and robust fundraising.
Husted secures GOP Senate nomination and Acton Democratic governor nomination
U.S. Sen. Jon Husted has secured the Republican Senate nomination in Ohio, as the incumbent braces for what is expected to be an expensive fight to hold his seat.
On the Democrats’ side, Dr. Amy Acton won the party’s nomination for governor. The state’s COVID-era state health director moves on to a likely matchup against Republican billionaire biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, who was facing a challenger in the GOP primary.
Husted and Acton were both unopposed in their primaries.
Three Trump-backed challengers win in Indiana
Three Indiana Republican state senators have lost Tuesday to challengers backed by President Donald Trump, while another incumbent survived as seven races test the president's influence in a deep red state.
Blake Fiechter defeated state Sen. Travis Holdman, Michelle Davis defeated state Sen. Greg Walker and Tracey Powell defeated state Sen. Jim Buck. Meanwhile, Sen. Greg Goode held off a challenge from Trump-backed Brenda Wilson.
Trump targeted seven Indiana state senators who defied months of White House pressure by voting against mid-decade redistricting, which the president wanted to boost Republicans' chances in the midterm elections.
It has been a costly and unprecedented intraparty battle that has exacerbated tensions among Republicans ahead of the November midterm elections that will determine control of Congress. Trump's allies have spent at least $8.3 million on races that rarely get much attention from Washington.
Holdman, a lawyer from the Fort Wayne area, was elected to the Indiana Senate in 2008. He was chairman of the Senate Republican caucus and was considered by his colleagues to be even-tempered.
Before the polls closed on Tuesday, Holdman said, “I’m at peace with however it goes.”
Indiana Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith said the primary is about how far the party will go to get an edge over Democrats — a contest between “the Republicans who tend to want to avoid the fight and the Republicans who feel like we need to fight."
“So the only question is, ‘Will you fight or will you get trampled by the other side?’” said Beckwith, who is supporting the Trump-backed challengers.
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Indiana rejected Trump on redistricting
Trump began leaning on Republican-led states last year to redraw their congressional maps to make it easier for his party to hold its thin majority in the U.S. House. Although redistricting is normally done once a decade, after a new census, Trump wanted to abandon tradition to gain a political edge.
Texas was the first to follow through, and the White House pressured Indiana to go along too. Vice President JD Vance met with state politicians in Washington and Indianapolis, and Trump weighed in by conference call.
However, Indiana senators rebuffed the effort, one of the president's first significant political defeats of his second term.
The redistricting fight divided Republicans in Indiana, a state Trump won three times by no less than 16 points. Republican Gov. Mike Braun, U.S. Sen. Jim Banks and organizations such as Turning Point Action have worked alongside Trump to unseat the incumbents.
Jim Bopp, a prominent Indiana attorney who leads a political action committee aligned with Braun, predicted that Trump’s support will carry the day for the challengers.
“Republican voters overwhelmingly support Trump, and when they find out Trump has endorsed a particular Senate candidate, they swing their support behind them,” he said.
