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 This Week in #OHGov: More Plane More Problems

Columbus, Ohio – Vivek Ramaswamy’s campaign got off to a not so flying start this week as new reporting shined a spotlight on his private jet, his own party noted how much his property tax scheme will raise prices for Ohioans, and he continued to face criticism from Ohioans for calling Medicare and Medicaid a mistake.

(More) Plane Problems: Vivek Ramaswamy’s affinity for private aviation continues to give him trouble on the campaign trail. This week, new reporting for Heartland Signal highlighted Ramaswamy’s extensive campaign spending. Almost 11% of his total campaign spending was on travel by private jet.

Tax Trouble: Even Ramaswamy’s own party is warning his property tax scheme could cause already rising costs to skyrocket for working families. Reporting from the Dayton Daily News highlighted how Vivek Ramaswamy’s tax on working families could cost hardworking Ohioans by as much as 15% more in income tax and raise prices by 18% on all goods.

The Mistake that Won’t Go Away: Ramaswamy is still haunted by his comments calling Medicaid and Medicare a mistake. Dr Amy Acton and David Pepper joined Ohio healthcare workers earlier this week to make it clear that Ohioans can’t trust Vivek Ramaswamy to lower the cost of healthcare. 

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ICYMI: Records show Vivek Ramaswamy dropped $780K on private jet flights last year

Columbus, Ohio – New reporting from Heartland Signal continues to shine a spotlight on Vivek Ramaswamy’s nonstop private jet usage as he calls Ohioans lazy and says rising prices are in our imagination.

READ: Records show Ohio governor candidate Vivek Ramaswamy dropped $780K on private jet flights last year

  • Campaign expenditure filings for Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy show that the Republican spent more than $780,000 on private jet travel in 2025.
  • A Heartland Signal analysis of Ramaswamy’s expenditures filed through the Secretary of State’s Office show that the candidate spent $469,885.45 on aircraft leasing and $312,264.21 in costs associated with flying his own jet.
  • Ramaswamy’s campaign spent a total of $7,126,693.93 in 2025, making 10.97% of his total spending went to private jet travel. 
  • The former biotech pharmaceutical executive spent $10,721.97 more on private jet travel while campaigning in Ohio — the 34th largest state in the U.S. in square miles — than U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) spent on all air travel (public and private) during his Fighting Oligarchy Tour last year, during which he visited 29 cities across the country.
  • Before launching his campaign, Ramaswamy made a post on X in December 2024 arguing that the reason top tech companies often hire foreign-born and first-generation engineers is because “our culture has venerated mediocrity over excellence.

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NEW REPORT: Vivek Ramaswamy’s Tax on Working Families Could Skyrocket Income, Sales Tax 

Columbus, Ohio – New reporting from the Dayton Daily News highlighted how Vivek Ramaswamy’s tax on working families could cost hardworking Ohioans by as much as 15% more in income tax and raise prices by 18% on all goods.

On day one of his campaign, billionaire Vivek Ramaswamy vowed to eliminate income and property taxes, which even Mike DeWine said would be “absolutely devastating” for Ohio families. Ramaswamy’s high-cost campaign strategy also includes saying Ohioans struggling to make ends meet should just earn more and that rising costs are only in Ohioans’ imaginations.

If Ohio replaced property taxes with income taxes, rural Ohioans will be among the hardest hit. Harrison County residents could see their income tax increase as much as 27.01%, while Monroe County residents could see an increase of 26.75% along with an increase of 21.17% for residents of Noble County.

“The cost of living is higher than ever, and Vivek Ramaswamy’s tax scheme would fall entirely on Ohio’s working families,” said Ohio Democratic Party spokeswoman Katie Seewer. “Under Ramaswamy, Ohioans would struggle even more to make ends meet while he cruises above them in his private jet and calls them lazy.”

READ: Nixing Ohio property tax could lead to 15% income tax, 18% sales tax

  • Kimberly Murnieks, director of the Ohio Office of Budget and Management, said that filling the $24 billion property tax void with income or sales taxes would be “fiscally impractical and economically harmful.” 
  • She wrote income tax rates “would need to quadruple or more reaching 11% to 15%” and the state sales tax would have to increase from 5.75% to 15% to 18% which “is significantly higher than any other state.”
  • To put things in perspective, the 5.75% rate adds $1,725 to the price of a $30,000 car and $5,400 if the sales tax rate jumped to 18%. For a $1,300 refrigerator, the sales tax would jump from $75 to $234.

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What Ohioans Are Reading: Healthcare Costs are Too High & Vivek Ramaswamy Will Only Make Them Worse

Columbus, Ohio – As working families in Ohio are struggling to make ends meet as costs rise, Vivek Ramaswamy called Medicaid and Medicare a “mistake” and said Ohioans have only “perceived” rising costs. Earlier this week, Dr. Amy Acton joined David Pepper and Ohio healthcare providers to discuss the rising cost of healthcare.

Statehouse News Bureau: Candidates for Ohio governor talk about the cure for Ohio’s health care affordability 

  • “Four out of ten births are on Medicaid. Three out of eight children receive their health insurance through Medicaid,” Acton said. Acton said 11 Ohio hospitals are in danger of closing, which she blames on Republicans in Congress and lack of affordable healthcare has hurt rural providers.
  • “I keep hearing stories from Ohioans that they have to travel in many parts of the state now an hour to an hour and fifteen minutes to deliver a baby or to have their kid’s cavity filled. I’m actually hearing stories that babies are being born roadside again,” Acton said.

Columbus Dispatch: Amy Acton, Vivek Ramaswamy spar over Medicaid, health care costs

  • Ohioans are hurting from the cost of health care. Dr. Amy Acton, a Democrat running to replace Gov. Mike DeWine, says she’ll work on a cure.
  • Pepper said Ramaswamy’s comment shows a disconnect with Ohio voters who rely on these programs. “It’s quite clear that he’s someone who has no purpose for Medicaid and Medicare, and if you take that seriously, that (not) only doesn’t help the crisis, it makes it far, far worse,” he said.

Toledo Blade: Rising cost of health care top issue in Ohio, Acton says 

  • Ohioans across the state are worried about the increased costs of housing, child care, energy prices, and property taxes — but one issue trumps all of those, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton said Tuesday.
  • “The number one thing I’m hearing about … it’s the rising cost of health care that is really putting people over the edge in this state,” Acton said during a news conference outside the OhioHealth Grant Medical Center in downtown Columbus. She was joined by running mate David Pepper, former nurse Jan Lanier, and other supporters.

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REMINDER: As Ohioans Struggle with the Cost of Living, Vivek Ramaswamy Thinks Medicaid & Medicare Were a Mistake

Columbus, Ohio – Ohioans are struggling more than ever with the high cost of living. But instead of doing anything to help lower costs, Vivek Ramaswamy called affordable care programs like Medicaid and Medicare a “mistake.

WATCH THE CLIP BELOW:

“Ohioans won’t elect a governor who can’t be trusted to fight for affordable healthcare,” said Ohio Democratic Party spokeswoman Katie Seewer. “Ramaswamy has made it clear he thinks affordable healthcare was a mistake and that’s what Ohioans will be thinking about when they head to the polls in November.”

While Ramaswamy calls Medicaid and Medicare a “mistake,” here’s what Ohioans are actually feeling:

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