Ohio Democrat gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton told supporters that her state is “ground zero” in the fight for the country ahead of the November election, according to video circulating online.

In footage posted this week, Acton pointed to her primary turnout and her Youngstown roots as she rallied a room of supporters, telling them the race would decide the direction of the nation.

Acton framed Ohio as the country’s decisive battleground and touted her showing in the May primary, where she ran unopposed for the Democrat nomination.

“This is it. We are ground zero,” Acton said. “In the primary, guys, I had no opponent. We had more votes for governor. Than any candidate on either side of the aisle in history. And we won Youngstown.”

The former state health director said she planned to campaign across the Mahoning Valley and cast herself as the candidate who could break a decades-long Republican hold on the office.

“I want you guys to know that I’ve never been in a room in two and a half years where people don’t tear up while I’m talking,” Acton said. “First of all, we’re going to have the first woman governor. But I just want you to know with 30 days left.”

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Dr. Amy Acton speaks at a primary election night campaign event after winning the party’s nomination for governor in Columbus, Ohio, on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)

The contest has stayed close all year. RealClearPolling’s average put Acton ahead of Republican nominee Vivek Ramaswamy by roughly a third of a point as of Sunday, a statistical toss-up, and nine independent surveys taken since February have shown the two candidates within a few points of one another.

The video circulated a day after an armed man was arrested at the Canfield Fair after pushing through a crowd toward Acton and knocking two people to the ground. Acton was not hurt.

 

The race has grown increasingly bitter in its closing stretch. Acton declined to debate Ramaswamy, with her campaign calling him a “scam artist who spreads baseless lies” and accusing him of using AI to distort her record.

Republican Gov. Mike DeWine is term-limited and therefore cannot seek a third consecutive term. No Democrat has won a gubernatorial election in Ohio since 2006. Voters head to the polls on November 3.