Amy Acton (Democrat), Vivek Ramaswamy (Republican) and Don Kissick (Libertarian) are the candidates for governor of Ohio in the November 3, 2026 general election. Semblen has analyzed 60 ads in this race; 42 used at least one manipulation technique, most often loaded language and appeal to prejudice. Next date for voters: Last day to request a mail ballot: Tue, Oct 27.
Amy Acton (DEM), Vivek Ramaswamy (REP), Don Kissick (LIB). On the ballot as listed by Ballotpedia. 60 ads analyzed, 42 with at least one technique in the copy. Newest first. The paid-for-by line is the advertiser's own filing. Updated 2026-10-08. 1 ad from other advertisers shown separately below.
From Ohio's official election office. Each line links to the official page it came from.
Next: Last day to request a mail ballot: Tue, Oct 27 (in 19 days)
| Registration | Register by Mon, Oct 5 (30th day before is Sun Oct 4; SOS says the deadline is Oct 5. Mail applications must be postmarked by the 30th day before) (passed)Source: codes.ohio.gov ↗Source: ohiosos.gov ↗ |
|---|---|
| Early voting in person | Tue, Oct 6 to Sun, Nov 1 (first day after registration closes)Source: codes.ohio.gov ↗ |
| By mail | Anyone can vote by mail; request a ballot by Tue, Oct 27 (received by county board by close of business, 7th day before the election); return it by Tue, Nov 3 (received by county board by close of polls (7:30 p.m.); postmark grace period repealed by SB 293; UOCAVA exception)Source: codes.ohio.gov ↗Source: codes.ohio.gov ↗ |
| Election Day | Tue, Nov 3. Polls: 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.Source: codes.ohio.gov ↗ |
| ID at the polls | Photo ID required; without one, vote a provisional ballotSource: codes.ohio.gov ↗ |
Checked October 6, 2026. Rules can change; confirm with the official site before you go.
A person reads every report and fixes errors the same day.
As of 2026-10-08. Counts are of distinct ads; the same text run many times is one ad.
A small box with these findings and the newest ads, updated as new ads are analyzed. Free for newsrooms, blogs and campaigns alike; it links back here.
An email when new ads come in from either side or the outside groups: the techniques, the words doing the work, and who paid. And each debate's analysis the morning after. One-click unsubscribe.
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| Paid for by | Ads | With at least one technique | Most common |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ohioans for Amy Acton | 19 | 15 of 19 (79%) | Loaded Language (13), Appeal to Fear (8), Appeal to Prejudice (8) |
| Vivek Ramaswamy and Rob McColley for Ohio | 19 | 11 of 19 (58%) | Loaded Language (9), Name Calling (8), Appeal to Fear (7) |
| Ohio Democratic Party | 11 | 11 of 11 (100%) | Loaded Language (11), Appeal to Prejudice (7), Appeal to Fear (6) |
| Ohio AFL-CIO | 9 | 3 of 9 | Glittering Generalities (3), Appeal to Prejudice (1), Bandwagon Appeal (1) |
| AFT | 1 | 1 of 1 | Glittering Generalities (1) |
| INTERNATIONAL UNION, UNITED AUTOMOBILE, AEROSPACE AND AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENT WORKERS OF AM | 1 | 1 of 1 | Glittering Generalities (1) |
Not everyone would call every technique manipulation. Untick the ones you'd call ordinary persuasion and the count updates.
70% of the 60 ads here use at least one of the techniques ticked below (42 ads).
Leaving out the softer ones (loaded language, glittering generalities, slogans, exaggeration, repetition): 55% of ads.
The words that show up most in phrases our model flagged as loaded language or name calling in this race's ads, by number of ads.
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Candidates for governor report their fundraising to Ohio's state campaign-finance office, not the FEC. This page doesn't cover those reports yet, so it shows no money figures.
60 ads, newest first. Video transcripts are shown as the model read them, without caption cues like [music].
Showing the 9 ads paid for by Ohio AFL-CIO. Show all 60 ads
Vivek Ramaswamy's first tax cut is on money made off stock. Not on overtime. Only 15,000 of the wealthiest Ohioans would benefit. The rest of us cover what it takes out of roads, schools, and safety.
Groceries. Healthcare. Housing. Energy. Everything costs more. Ohio families need a governor focused on lowering costs, not adding more uncertainty. Amy Acton has spent her career helping Ohio families, and she'll put working people first.
Glittering Generalities: The sentence uses vague, emotionally positive phrases like 'helping Ohio families' and 'working people first' that sound noble but carry no specific policy substance — for example: 'put working people first'
Why is Roberta not voting for Vivek Ramaswamy? Vote for Amy Acton by November 3rd.
An email when new ads come in from either side or the outside groups: the techniques, the words doing the work, and who paid. And each debate's analysis the morning after. One-click unsubscribe.
Semblen LLC · 5900 Balcones Drive STE 100, Austin, TX 78731
Working families are being squeezed by rising costs everywhere. Especially on essentials like gas, energy, and groceries. Ohio families need a governor focused on lowering costs for working people. Amy Acton has spent her career helping Ohio families, and she'll put working people first.
Glittering Generalities: The sentence uses vague, emotionally positive phrases like 'helping Ohio families' and 'put working people first' that sound noble but carry no specific policy meaning — for example: 'put working people first'
Vivek Ramaswamy has never worked a job where somebody counts your hours. He made his money on Wall Street and in drug companies. We can't trust a billionaire to protect prevailing wage and project labor agreements.
Amy Acton is a doctor, not a politician. She grew up poor and spent thirty years in public health. Her priority as governor is lowering what your family pays. On prescription drugs, insurance premiums, medical debt.
Amy Acton is a doctor, not a politician. She grew up poor in a Youngstown steel family and spent thirty years in public health. Her priority as governor is lowering what your family pays. On prescription drugs, insurance premiums, medical debt.
Dakota Shirey, IBEW Local 575, is voting for Amy Acton. Here's why.
Ohio workers built this state. Amy Acton grew up in Youngstown. She knows the pride and the grit of Ohio's working families, because she comes from them. The issues unions fight for are the same ones every working family cares about. Amy Acton gets that.
Glittering Generalities: The statement uses a vague, emotionally resonant claim about workers building the state to evoke pride without specific substance — for example: 'Ohio workers built this state'
Flag-Waving: Patriotic, religious, or in-group identity invoked to validate a position.
Slogans: Catchy phrase used to compress a complex position into an emotionally loaded shorthand.
Appeal to Prejudice: The sentence invokes in-group identity by emphasizing that Acton comes from working families, implying authentic belonging to a valued community as a political credential — for example: 'she comes from them'
Bandwagon Appeal: The phrase 'every working family' implies universal agreement to pressure conformity and suggest that union priorities are shared by all — for example: every working family cares about
Paid posts that ran in OH and name a candidate, from advertisers that aren't part of this race: news-style pages, campaigns for other offices, and others. They're shown here for completeness and not counted with the ads above. We show the same technique analysis; their claims are not checked.
Buckeye Bulletin: news-style page
Democrat Amy Acton’s campaign says she will not debate Republican Vivek Ramaswamy, arguing that Acton is focused on speaking with Ohioans rather than “platforming a scam artist” and accusing Ramaswamy and his allies of spreading false and personal attacks against her. Vivek's campaign has also highlighted past comments from Acton’s running mate, David Pepper, who criticized candidates who refused to debate, saying they showed “contempt for voters and civic groups.”
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