Democratic candidate Amy Acton's price in Kalshi's Ohio governor market climbed to 81% on Thursday, widening the gap with Republican Vivek Ramaswamy.
Conversely, Kalshi's Ohio governor market shows Ramaswamy's chances priced at an all-time low of 19%.
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What do the polls say?
The latest Marist poll shows Acton leading over Ramaswamy in the race for Ohio’s next governor.
10 WBNS reports that an Oct. 20 Marist poll found Acton leading Ramaswamy 50% to 43% among likely Ohio voters. Among independent likely voters, Acton received 53% support, compared with 34% for Ramaswamy.
The ad backlash continues
Meanwhile, Ramaswamy's campaign faces growing bipartisan criticism over an attack ad featuring Acton's estranged mother, Donna Arthur. Another high-profile Republican called for the ad's removal.
The Associated Press reported that Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine denounced the campaign ad at the Ohio Statehouse.
“It’s wrong to run this ad,” DeWine said. “I would urge Ramaswamy’s campaign to take this ad down.”
DeWine, who previously endorsed Ramaswamy to succeed him as governor, has not withdrawn that endorsement, even though he described the ad as “deeply, deeply troubling.”
Pro-Ramaswamy social media accounts distributed the ad on Monday featuring Acton’s estranged mother, Donna Arthur, accusing her of being a liar “her entire life.”
Acton's campaign criticized the ad, saying that it capitalized on a childhood trauma from her life that led to her and her brother being removed from their home and the estrangement from their mother. Politico reported that Acton's brother, Philip Stearns, said in a statement released by her campaign that his sister had endured years of abuse as a child at the hands of her birth mother's husband.
“After he was arrested and Amy and I were removed from their custody, our birth mother stayed married to Amy’s rapist until he died,” Stearns said. “This desperate, disgusting attack reveals exactly who Vivek Ramaswamy is at his core – a pathetic excuse for a man who is willing to hurt anyone as long as it gets him what he wants.”
Acton also responded to the ad on Spectrum News on Tuesday.
“I won’t normalize somebody who has said my childhood is just something I’m complaining about,” Acton said.
The ad did not say who paid for it, but Ramaswamy has doubled down on it. The Hill reported that Ramaswamy acknowledged that his campaign produced the ad featuring Acton's mother and said the ad will run on social media and TV until Election Day.
Ohio Senate race
Former Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown's price in Kalshi's Ohio special Senate election market also reached a new high.
The Ohio Senate winner market shows Brown leading at 70%, with Husted following at 30%.
The takeaway:
Kalshi markets now predict:
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