OHGov

Columbus, Ohio- There’s only one week to go until the Ohio primary. Here’s five things voters need to know about billionaire scam artist Vivek Ramaswamy.

“After more than a year of getting to know Vivek Ramaswamy, Ohioans are heading to the polls for the first time, and the more they have gotten to know Ramaswamy, the less they’ve liked him,” said Ohio Democratic Party spokeswoman Katie Seewer. “Working families won’t vote for a billionaire scam artist who called affordable healthcare a ‘mistake,’ doesn’t care about rising costs, and would rather call them lazy than get to work to bring down costs.”

1. Ramaswamy called Medicaid and Medicare, programs that more than three million Ohioans rely on to afford healthcare, “mistakes.” Over 25% of Ohioans use Medicaid to afford care, while nearly 20% use Medicare. Without these programs, rural hospitals across Ohio would be in even greater danger of closure – forcing families to travel even farther for the care they need.

2. Ramaswamy doesn’t believe costs are going up (and doesn’t care). He said the “perceived” rising cost of living was only in Ohioans’ imaginations and called affordability a “buzzword.” Meanwhile, he spent $780,000 on private jet travel last year and used campaign funds to play pickleball with the Paul Brothers in Puerto Rico while working Ohio families struggle to keep up with sky-high costs.

3. He called Ohioans “lazy” and “mediocre” in an unhinged and revealing social media rant. Ramaswamy also moved his business to Texas just months before announcing his run for governor and was forced to drop out of a keynote speech at a conference advocating for outsourcing American jobs after facing online criticism from members of his own party.

4. Ohioans see straight through Ramaswamy’s lies, including in his own party. Republican Governor Mike DeWine denounced his latest campaign ad as false and when asked if Ramaswamy would rather be a national political celebrity or governor, answered “both.” In late 2025, Ramaswamy took home an award for worst use of social media for a policy proposal so bad his biggest supporters thought it was AI.

5. Ramaswamy doubled down on an unpopular proposal to close colleges and universities that would devastate communities across the state. He specifically singled out Kent State, Cleveland State, and Central State, public universities that serve tens of thousands of students and support jobs and small businesses in communities across Ohio.

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COLUMBUS, OH – Yesterday, Brent Larkin addressed the Ramaswamy campaign’s latest smear, in which they falsely claimed in an ad that Dr. Acton was responsible for delaying the 2020 primary election. 

READ: Turning facts into lies? Welcome to Campaign 2026 in Ohio: Brent Larkin

• As proven during his failed run for president in 2024, voters don’t much like Ramaswamy. He comes across as smart, but arrogant.

• Trump’s declining popularity, skyrocketing fuel and grocery prices, and Ramaswamy’s unlikability explain why a concerned Ramaswamy campaign has already spent $10 million in television ads. Notably, the ads do not feature Ramaswamy talking to the camera.

• This election is close. If it stays that way, if Ramaswamy’s attempt to buy the election with his own money doesn’t work, then his truth-shattering will accelerate. In one of its most recent television spots, the Ramaswamy campaign says Acton “called off” the 2020 primary election because of COVID-19.

• It’s a lie. And DeWine responded to the lie by again stating that the decision to delay the primary, not call it off, was his — not Acton’s.

• …Again, on numerous occasions, and both before and after Ramaswamy began airing his attack ad on Acton, DeWine has said he gave the order for Acton to postpone the March 17 election.

• If Ramaswamy is willing to obliterate (MAGA’s favorite verb) the truth about how and why all this happened during the most serious public health crisis in more than 100 years, maybe he shouldn’t be trusted to run this state.

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Columbus, Ohio- Vivek Ramaswamy is doubling down once again on his proposal to shut down Ohio colleges and universities to fund his disastrous tax scam. His plan drew immediate backlash from communities across the state who don’t want to jeopardize their small businesses, jobs and access to education.

READ: Vivek Ramaswamy still focused on shutting down ‘subpar’ Ohio universities

• Republican candidate for Ohio governor Vivek Ramaswamy is still pushing to shut down public colleges and universities if he believes they are ‘subpar,’ he said Tuesday evening.

• “I don’t think you should be funding subpar universities,” Ramaswamy said to a student asking a question.

• Cleveland State’s president, Dr. Laura Bloomberg, said consolidations can’t be the only option:

• “We need to honor the identity of our public universities, which were formed for specific purposes to meet the needs of their region. All options need to be discussed – there are many ways to think about programs and strategic partnerships that are far short of consolidation and achieve the goals of being more nimble, efficient institutions of higher education.

• Cleveland State is proud to call itself Cleveland’s university. We are a public research university located in the heart of the city. For more than 60 years, we have been essential to the region and the state. Our longstanding and growing relationships with the community and employers directly benefit our students. More than 85% of CSU graduates live and work in Northeast Ohio, contributing directly to our region’s economy.”

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Columbus, Ohio- During a speech at Ohio State University just weeks after his plan to close colleges and universities across the state drew backlash, billionaire scam artist Vivek Ramaswamy continued his pattern of lying to Ohioans. Here’s a fact check on Ramaswamy’s latest list of lies:

1. Ramaswamy said instead of investing in Ohio, business owners “move to Tennessee, to Texas, to Florida,” but he neglected to mention that he moved his own business to Texas just months before announcing his run for governor. He also didn’t mention that his own party has been in charge for years as jobs and businesses have left Ohio for other states.

2. At an event aimed towards students, Ramaswamy also dodged responsibility for his own plan to raise the voting age to 25. He pivoted to his plan for all high school students to pass a civics test, but his actual plan called for changing the voting age to 25 unless all Americans under that age passed a test or served in the military.

3. Finally, Ramaswamy ran away from his plan to close colleges and universities to fund his disastrous tax scam. He claimed media coverage was inaccurate and when pushed about solutions said it was time to be moving on to the next question.

“Vivek Ramaswamy can’t stop lying about his plans to close colleges, raise the voting age to 25, or even about how he called Medicaid and Medicare a mistake,” said Ohio Democratic Party spokeswoman Katie Seewer. “Ohioans of all ages are struggling to get ahead but instead of tackling the high cost of living, Vivek Ramaswamy would rather call them lazy and tell them lies.”

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Columbus, Ohio- Earlier this week at a campaign event, Vivek Ramaswamy hit a new low in his desperate campaign when he minimized the sexual abuse his opponent Dr. Amy Acton survived as a child. Ramaswamy said Acton can only “complain about what someone else did to her.” 

What they’re saying in the press:

WVXU: Analysis: Ramaswamy seems to criticize Acton for being a victim of child sex abuse

• Vivek Ramaswamy, the Republican candidate for Ohio governor, has had to walk back or try to explain away any number of controversial positions that would likely have not sat well with Ohio voters. It’s a pretty long list.
• On and on it goes. It is as if he had one of those Etch A Sketch toys we had as kids. Draw a picture on the screen and when you want it to go away, you just pick it up and shake it — or in his case, delete the post.
• “He would seem to be all hat and no cattle, but the hat keeps slipping off his head,” said David Niven, professor of political science at the University of Cincinnati. “You would think that if you are going to tie yourself to controversial issues, you would at least make them issues that are popular,” Niven said.
• But this time, Ramaswamy has talked himself into a mess he can’t erase. He went after the Democratic candidate for governor, former Ohio Health Department director Amy Acton, for being the victim of sexual abuse as child growing up in Youngstown.
• Neither Ramaswamy nor his campaign staff responded to WVXU’s request for comment.

TiffinOhio.net: Vivek Ramaswamy mocks Amy Acton for being a childhood sex abuse survivor

• Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy posted a video to his X account on Tuesday in which he dismissed Democratic opponent Dr. Amy Acton as having no vision “other than complain about what someone else did to her.” 
• The Acton campaign’s statement pointed to what it called a consistent pattern of Ramaswamy ignoring sexual abuse. The campaign noted that Ramaswamy refused for months to call for the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files, accepted $100,000 from an Epstein associate accused of having sex with underage girls and never returned the money, and promoted the endorsement of state Rep. Rodney Creech (R-West Alexandria), who was accused of climbing into bed with a minor female relative while erect and wearing only his underwear, according to Bureau of Criminal Investigation documents.
• Ramaswamy’s campaign quietly removed Creech from its endorsements page earlier this month after TiffinOhio.net reported on the allegations. Creech’s name had appeared on the page for more than a year.

Columbus Dispatch: Ohio governor race between Ramaswamy, Acton turns ugly

• Republican Vivek Ramaswamy said Democrat Amy Acton has no vision for the state “other than to complain about what someone else did to her.” Ramaswamy posted the remark to his X account on April 14.

The Nerd Stash: Ohio Disgusted by Ramaswamy’s Attack on Amy Acton’s Childhood Abuse: ‘This Should End a Campaign’ 

• Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy is facing intense backlash across Ohio after posting a video that critics say mocks Democratic opponent Dr. Amy Acton’s history as a childhood sexual abuse survivor.
• In the clip, Ramaswamy claimed Acton offers no real vision for the state “other than to complain about what someone else did to her.” The remark came just one day after Acton’s campaign condemned Ramaswamy’s allies for resurfacing and weaponizing her documented history of abuse.

WGTC: Vivek Ramaswamy slams Democratic opponent for going public about being sexually abused as child, ‘one of the most disgusting attacks I’ve ever seen’

• Vivek Ramaswamy has ambitions of being the next Governor of Ohio, and if this clip is any indication, he’s willing to stoop to unimaginable levels to get the job. Ramaswamy’s opponent is Democrat Dr. Amy Acton, the former Ohio Health Director, and the Nov. 3 election is shaping up to be a closely run race.
• In interviews, Acton has said that one of her motivations for public service is surviving childhood sexual abuse, explaining that overcoming this and focusing on helping other victims is an important part of her personal journey. But for Ramaswamy, it’s apparently a reason to attack her. 
• As you might imagine, the reaction from regular people is a combination of horror and anger.

What they’re saying online: 

@HQNewsNow: Ohio Gov. candidate Vivek Ramaswamy claims that his opponent Amy Acton is running on “complaining about what someone else did to her,” referring to Acton sharing the story of sexual abuse as a child.

@MikeNellis: Vivek Ramaswamy mocking his Democratic opponent, Amy Acton, for being sexually abused as a child is one of the most disgusting attacks I’ve ever seen from a politician. 

@HeartlandSignal: Ohio GOP gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy says Democrat Dr. Amy Acton’s campaign is about “complaining about what someone else did to her.” Acton survived sexual abuse as a child. 

@Couriernewsroom: Dr. Amy Acton (D-OH) has been open about experiencing SA as a child.Vivek Ramaswamy (R-OH) has refused to call for the release of the Epstein files for months, took $100,000 from an Epstein associate accused of having sex with underage girls and never gave it back, and touts the endorsement of a state rep accused of sexually abusing a minor.

@Nowthisimpact: No one should ever have to deal with someone talking about their trauma so callously. And yet, there are Republicans like Ramaswamy.

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