WASHINGTON, DC – Republican Vivek Ramaswamy trails Democrat Amy Acton by six points in the race for Ohio governor, according to a new Bowling Green State University (BGSU) poll. His deficit has doubled since September, even as more Ohio voters still expect him to win the election.

The BGSU poll, a web-based survey of 1,000 likely voters conducted with YouGov from September 29 to October 9, put Acton at 50 per cent and Ramaswamy at 44 per cent, with a margin of error of 3.95 percentage points.

Asked who would win regardless of their own preference, 55 per cent named Ramaswamy and 43 per cent Acton, a narrower gap than the 62-36 split recorded in September.

“While this will be welcome news to Democrats, a blue wave in Ohio is far from a sure thing. Republicans have closed well in recent statewide elections, and I would be surprised if these races did not end up within the margin of error in either direction,” BGSU political science professor Robert Alexander said.

Ramaswamy’s net favorability rating stood at minus 10, compared with minus 1 for Acton. Acton led Ramaswamy on whether voters considered the candidates caring about ordinary people, 48-30, and on honesty, 42-34. The two were tied at 41-41 on competence.

Fifty-one per cent of respondents said Ramaswamy had run more negative advertisements, compared with 28 per cent who said the same of Acton.

President Donald Trump’s approval rating in Ohio stood at 39 per cent, while 58 per cent disapproved of his performance. Among voters who backed Trump in 2024, 24 per cent said they regretted their vote, including 14 per cent who regretted it to some degree and 10 per cent a great deal.

Other recent polls have also shown Acton ahead, though the size of her lead varies. A CNN/SSRS poll of 760 likely voters put her ahead 50-42, while a New York Times/Siena poll of 616 likely voters showed her leading 49-45. A co/efficient poll of 925 likely voters, however, gave Ramaswamy a 45-43 lead.

A separate On Point Polling survey conducted October 16-17 and released October 17 put Acton ahead 47.9-43.1 among likely voters. The lead was within the poll’s 4.9-percentage-point margin of error.

Polling averages in mid-October also showed Acton ahead by roughly five points. TrackTheVote put her at 48.7 per cent to Ramaswamy’s 43.7 per cent, while FiftyPlusOne had her at 48.7 per cent to his 43.9 per cent. The Hill and Decision Desk HQ put Acton at 48.3 per cent and Ramaswamy at 43.6 per cent.