COLUMBUS — Democrat Amy Acton has opened a lead over Republican Vivek Ramaswamy in the Ohio governor’s race, according to two new polls released this week.
A Marist poll has Acton leading Ramaswamy 50% to 44% among registered voters, while a Suffolk University poll puts her ahead 50% to 41% among likely voters. The results suggest the affordability-focused contest — in which both candidates called for a gas tax holiday — is shifting in Acton’s favor.
The polling lands just days after Ohio lawmakers passed a bipartisan 90-day suspension of the state gas tax, a proposal both Acton and Ramaswamy championed on the campaign trail. Fuel prices have spiked amid the Iran war and other conflicts abroad, with Ohio’s average gas price hitting $4.24 a gallon on Sept. 30, according to AAA.
Ramaswamy held a news conference at the Ohio Chamber of Commerce touting the tax suspension as “a preview of how things are going to work under a Ramaswamy administration.” With the November election approaching, both campaigns are expected to keep the spotlight on pocketbook issues.
