In the race for Ohio governor, it seems unlikely that voters will see Democrat Amy Acton and Republican Vivek Ramaswamy debate.
Ramaswamy announced Sept. 2 that he had accepted debate invitations from CNN and WLWT, an NBC local affiliate in Cincinnati.
"I challenge Amy Acton to join me on the debate stage so voters can make a well-informed choice in November," said Ramaswamy in a press release.
Hours later, Acton's campaign issued a statement that boiled down to a hard no.
Acton campaign manager Phil Stein said in a written statement that Ramaswamy is a "scam artist" who spreads lies about Acton and her family.
"Ramaswamy and his billionaire buddies have spent more than $50 million on disgusting, inaccurate attack ads that have been condemned as the
'most vile and repulsive lies' Ohio has ever seen," Stein's statement said.
The 2026 race has been jammed with attacks and accusations.
Republican groups have accused Acton of being "unstable" and abusing alcohol and prescription medication. An ad from pro-Ramaswamy super PAC, V-PAC: Victors, Not Victims, ends with the line: “Amy Acton. Drinking. Drugs. Disaster. Disqualifying."
Acton and fellow Democrats say that's not true, and Republicans are attempting to smear her for what amounted to a private verbal disagreement between Acton and her husband in 2019.
Meanwhile,the Democratic Governors Association-backed Ohioans for Lower Costs launched an ad calling Ramaswamy a "conman" and "huckster" on Aug. 19. The DGA-backed ad accuses Ramaswamy of peddling a drug to Alzheimer's patients that didn't work, but the drug in question was never marketed to patients.
Generally, the major party candidates debate at least once when it's race for an open seat in the Ohio governor's office. Republicans John Kasich and Mike DeWine skipped debating their challengers when running for second terms. Both cruised to reelection.
State government reporter Laura Bischoff can be reached at lbischoff@usatodayco.com and @lbischoff on X.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Debate invitations accepted by Ramaswamy, rebuffed by Acton
