Amy Acton has won Ohio’s gubernatorial race, ignored Vivek Ramaswamy’s concession call, and made it clear she has no interest in repairing the relationship after a campaign that ended with one of its ugliest attacks.
For many liberal commenters in Ohio, that was exactly the response they wanted. The Democratic governor-elect told CBS News Friday that she had “no intention” of speaking with her defeated Republican opponent, despite Ramaswamy saying he called to congratulate her following Tuesday’s election.
Acton’s explanation was equally pointed.
“I do believe that leaders’ words matter, and we need to hold folks accountable,” she said.
The bitterness stems from an attack ad Ramaswamy ran featuring Acton’s estranged mother, Donna Arthur, calling her daughter a liar.
Acton had not seen her mother since she was 12. She and her brother had been removed from Arthur’s care after Acton’s stepfather was arrested and charged with raping her when she was between 10 and 12 years old.
Acton called Ramaswamy’s decision to air the ad “a terrible and despicable thing to do.”
Ohio Liberals Have Little Interest in a Polite Goodbye
In the r/Ohio subreddit, where the CBS story went viral in a matter of minutes, sympathy for Ramaswamy was in extremely short supply.
One commenter’s quip set the tone for the entire thread: “Basically left him on ‘read’. I love it.”
Another wrote that Acton “owes him nothing,” while others questioned why the incoming governor should spend any time speaking with a defeated candidate who holds no elected position.
The anger also extended beyond Ramaswamy. Several commenters complained that Democrats should restore civility after Republican candidates wage intensely personal campaigns.
One user put it plainly: “This is the energy democrats need to be having.”
Another said there was “a big difference between an aggressive campaign and that ad,” describing Ramaswamy’s attack as beyond acceptable political discourse.
That distinction has become the real story surrounding Acton’s refusal. A concession call ordinarily represents the ceremonial end of a bitter election. Ramaswamy’s campaign made that ritual considerably harder to separate from what came before it.
Acton appears uninterested in pretending otherwise. She told CBS that Ohioans are tired of “the hate and chaos and vitriol” of modern politics and argued that “kindness isn’t weakness.”
Judging by the reaction among liberal voices in Ohio, refusing Ramaswamy’s call is not being viewed as a failure of that promise. It is being celebrated as Acton drawing a line after a campaign many of her supporters believe crossed one first.
