COLUMBUS, Ohio — Democrat Amy Acton leads Republican Vivek Ramaswamy in two polls of Ohio voters, though many respondents in one survey expect Ramaswamy to win the Nov. 3 governor’s race. A Marist University poll conducted Sept. 24-27 found Acton at 50% and Ramaswamy at 44%. A Suffolk University poll fielded Sept. 23-27 put Acton at 50% and Ramaswamy at 41%. The reported leads exceed each poll’s margin of error, but the surveys are snapshots rather than forecasts of the result. The Marist survey questioned 1,298 registered Ohio voters and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.8 percentage points. Suffolk surveyed 500 Ohio voters, with a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 points. Despite Acton’s lead in stated preference, 53% of Marist respondents said they believed Ramaswamy would win in November. The poll found Acton favored by parents and college graduates, while Ramaswamy performed better among voters 65 and older and those without college degrees. The candidates were tied among men, white voters and voters 45 and older. Independents favored Acton, 57% to 32%. Neither candidate had a favorability rating above 50% in either poll. Acton’s favorable ratings were 49% in Suffolk and 43% in Marist; Ramaswamy’s were 44% and 38%, respectively. The Marist poll also found 50% of respondents strongly disapproved of President Donald Trump’s job performance. Asked how their vote for Congress would relate to Trump, 41% said it would be a vote against him and 25% said it would be a vote for him. The same Marist survey found Democrat Sherrod Brown leading Republican Jon Husted 51% to 43% in Ohio’s U.S. Senate race. Brown, who lost his Senate seat in 2024, is seeking to return to Congress. Husted, Ohio’s former lieutenant governor, was appointed to the Senate in 2025 after J.D. Vance left to become vice president. The special election will determine who serves the remaining two years of Vance’s term.