Olivia Rodrigo Wears Concert Shirt Supporting Dr Amy Acton for Ohio Governor Amid Ramaswamy Ad Controversy

Olivia Rodrigo participated in the Ohio gubernatorial race on Thursday (Oct. 29) during a stop in Columbus on her Unraveled Tour.

During her performance at the Schottenstein Center in support of her Billboard 200-topping 2026 album You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love, the singer wore a white T-shirt displaying the text: “Dr. Amy Acton for Governor.” Show footage shows Rodrigo highlighting the shirt and giving a thumbs-up to the camera broadcasting images to the arena screens.

Acton acknowledged the gesture by posting a photo of Rodrigo’s outfit on Instagram with the caption, “Ohio loves you, @oliviarodrigo !”

The pop star’s endorsement occurs days before the Tuesday (Nov. 3) midterm election, which determines the successor to term-limited Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine. President Donald Trump has traveled across the country to campaign for Republican candidates, including Acton’s opponent, billionaire tech mogul and brief DOGE department co-leader Vivek Ramaswamy.

Ramaswamy recently drew bipartisan criticism for broadcasting an advertisement featuring Acton’s mother. According to NBC News, the Democratic politician has been estranged from her mother for more than 40 years after Acton’s then-stepfather was charged with raping her as a young child nearly 50 years ago. In the ad, Acton’s mother calls her daughter a liar and urges Ohioans against voting for her, without addressing the rape case.

“It’s not surprising that Vivek Ramaswamy has stooped to such a despicable low as to attempt to turn the sexual abuse Amy endured at 12 years old from our birth mother’s husband into a political talking point,” Acton’s brother, Philip Stearns, stated regarding the ad. Both Ramaswamy and Trump have defended the spot, which has faced bipartisan condemnation and been characterized as one of the most “vile” ads of a contentious and expensive midterm election season. “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,” Stearns added.

Rodrigo has previously spoken about her political stances, particularly regarding reproductive freedoms. She raised $20 million for women’s charities through her inaugural Daisy Chain Fields festival, where Headcount was on site to register voters.

The midterm election is scheduled for Tuesday, deciding local offices alongside 35 Senate seats and all 435 House seats. Democrats are projected to make significant gains in the House as voters nationwide have grown dissatisfied with high gas and commodities prices resulting from Trump’s tariffs and the war in Iran. State-specific voting information is available here.