Ramaswamy will win Ohio GOP primary for governor, ABC News projects
Businessman and former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy will win the GOP primary for Ohio governor, ABC News projects.
Ramaswamy will face Democrat Amy Acton in the general election in November. Acton, who was unopposed, gained prominence in the state for leading the early response to the COVID-19 pandemic after she was appointed by Republican Gov. Mike DeWine as the state's top health official.
And ABC News projects that former Sen. Sherrod Brown will win the Democratic Senate primary in the state and will face Republican Sen. Jon Husted, who was appointed to fill the remainder of Vice President JD Vance's term.
Brown, who lost his Senate seat to now-GOP Sen. Bernie Moreno in 2024, easily defeated his primary opponent Ron Kinkaid, who raised less than $50,000 for his campaign.
While there are only a handful of competitive primaries in Ohio this cycle, they'll set the stage for some key races in the general election that could help determine which party controls Congress next year.
Governor's race
Ramaswamy largely cleared the Republican field early with an endorsement from Trump last year. He has given significant amounts of cash to his own campaign, with a $25 million loan just last month. The president reiterated his support for Ramaswamy with a post on Truth Social calling him "Young, Strong, and Smart" and "something SPECIAL."
Ramaswamy easily defeated auto engineer Casey Putsch, who has a significant Youtube following for his videos on classic cars but failed to raise significant funds or win key endorsements.
In his victory speech, Ramaswamy defended himself against attacks from his opponent on his personal wealth, saying, "I believe in celebrating success. And the person I'm running against in this race believes in villainizing success. She will remind you every day that I'm a billionaire, and I will remind you that I was not born a billionaire. I was not born a millionaire. I was not born an anything-aire."
Acton's speech drew heavily on her personal biography, highlighting her time in foster care and experiences of homelessness in her childhood and focused on issues of affordability, saying, "I know what it is like to struggle, and Ohioans need someone fighting for them, not the self funding billionaires and self interests, and that is why we are fighting. We're fighting to make Ohio affordable again."
Acton pointed to a controversial 2024 social media post by Ramaswamy in which he argued American culture "venerates mediocrity" and tolerates laziness.
"My opponent says people are lazy and mediocre and not working hard enough. Well, that is not the Ohioans that I know."
Senate race
The Brown-Husted Senate race is expected to be one of the closest in the country -- and possibly the most expensive.
Brown raised nearly 500 times as much as Kincaid and has already received the backing of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.
There are also an independent and a libertarian candidate on November's ballot.
The Cook Political Report ranks the race as a Toss Up. Brown has raised more than three times as much as Husted and has twice as much cash on hand.
The Republican Senate Leadership Fund has made a major investment in the race, announcing its plans to spend $79 million to back Husted, more than any other Senate race this year.
The Senate Majority PAC, which backs Democratic candidates, announced an initial reservation of $40 million for TV ads to support Brown.
Political ad tracking firm AdImpact reported last year that Ohio's 2024 Senate race was the most expensive non-presidential race it had ever analyzed.
Brown lost his seat to Moreno in 2024 by fewer than 200,000 votes and ran 3 points ahead of Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris' performance in the state.
U.S. House 1st District
AP has yet to make projections in the state's 1st District, which includes the Cincinnati area.
Incumbent Democratic Rep. Greg Landsman faces a tough race to retain his seat in November after redistricting shifted the district from one that Harris won by 6 points in 2024 to one she would have lost by 2.5 points. Cook Political Report ranks the race as a Toss Up.
Landsman faced a progressive primary challenger critical of his position on Israel, but Landsman had a massive cash advantage in the race.
On the Republican side, Trump-endorsed former CIA officer Eric Conroy was expected to win the primary over a field of three other candidates, one of which withdrew after Trump's endorsement but remains on the ballot. Conroy also has the backing of the National Republican Congressional Committee, which has already announced an investment in the race.
U.S. House 9th District
Former State Rep. Derrick Merrin is projected by ABC News to win the Republican primary for the 9th District. He'll face Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur, the longest-serving woman in Congress, who he narrowly lost to in 2024.
Kaptur was unopposed in the Democratic primary.
Ohio's new congressional boundaries shifted Kaptur's district from one that Trump won in 2024 by 7 points to one that he would have won by 11 points.
In a statement issued after the race was called, Merrin said, "Northwest Ohio is ready for fresh new leadership. That's why we are going to defeat Marcy Kaptur this November."
Kaptur's campaign said in a statement that she "enters the general election in a position of strength -- with more than $3 million cash on hand, deep grassroots support across all 10 counties of Ohio's new 9th District, and a proven record of delivering for the people she represents."
"Northwest Ohio voters already rejected Merrin in 2024, and his record has only gotten more extreme since," the statement said.
The potential pickup opportunity drew a crowded field of Republican candidates, including former Immigration and Customs Enforcement Deputy Director Madison Sheahan, who left the department earlier this year ahead of the departure of former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
While Sheahan received much of the national attention, many local leaders, including Secretary of State Frank LaRose, endorsed State Rep. Josh Williams. He and Merrin raised the most money in the race.
Trump didn't back a candidate in the 9th District.
