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HAMILTON, OHIO — Ohio Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy gave Fox News Digital an update on his campaign roughly 100 days from the midterms and said the contrast between him and his opponent was on display at Dr. Anthony Fauci’s controversial Senate hearing this week.
“I think if every person in Ohio votes for the candidate who’s going to bring high-paying jobs most quickly to our state, we’re going to win in a decisive victory,” Ramaswamy said at the Butler County Fair Wednesday after speaking to an enthusiastic crowd of roughly 100 people.
“And my pledge is really simple: lower costs, that’s lower electric bills, lower property taxes and lower healthcare expenses, bigger paychecks, more high-paying jobs in the state and better schools by bringing standards back to public education. And one of the things I’ve seen is that that’s a message that isn’t just limited to Republicans. It’s resonating with voters across the state.”
One of the most talked about issues at the fair, including two attendees who spoke to Fox News Digital, was property taxes and which candidate would best address that growing and often disruptive expense.
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“The top issues that people are struggling with is, No. 1, the property tax burden. It’s gotten way too high,” Ramaswamy said when asked what he’s hearing most from voters in terms of what they are most concerned about.
“We’ve laid out a practical plan to give the biggest property tax relief package Ohio’s ever seen. No. 2 is the electric bills, which have gone up way too quickly. It more than doubled in many parts of the state. Producing more energy and ending load forecasting inflation, those are things that a governor actually can do. And that’s something that I’m gonna lead with.”
Ramaswamy added that the third issue he hears about most from voters is healthcare costs and the overall cost of living.
“The No. 1 way I’m going to be able to address that is by raising take-home pay, both by bringing more high-paying jobs to the state, but also by allowing Ohioans to keep more of what they earn by becoming a zero-income tax state, just like Texas and Florida and Tennessee. Ohio can be that state, and I’m confident I’ll be able to put the state on a path to get there starting next year.”
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Fauci made headlines this week after invoking the Fifth Amendment over 100 times during a Senate hearing on his handling of the coronavirus, a moment Ramaswamy told the crowd and Fox News Digital that relates to his opponent Dr. Amy Acton’s time as director of the Ohio Department of Health from 2019 to 2020.
Ramaswamy pointed to a comment from Acton, which Fox News Digital reported on earlier this month, claiming the COVID mortality rate was at 50% when in reality it was significantly lower. Acton’s campaign responded by saying she had been referring to death rates in hospitals and that she “worked to keep Ohioans safe.”
“I think people look at that and say, ‘Is that somebody who has the kind of character that has the capacity to deal with data and make objective decisions and lead?’” Ramaswamy explained. “And while those questions are playing out for Anthony Fauci at the national level, I think they’re really resonating right here in Ohio.
“You could walk around, and you could even see some of the signs at this fair that are protesting the decisions she made because she actually wanted Ohio to shut down county fairs while still allowing BLM protests to rage wild on the streets at the same time in the name of science. That’s not objective decision-making.”
Ramaswamy is making the case that Ohioans are “rejecting that mentality” in favor of “common sense.”
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Acton campaign spokeswoman Addie Bullock labeled Ramaswamy an “out-of-touch billionaire” who is “pushing tax scams that would raise costs on working families.”
“While Dr. Amy Acton is laser-focused on lowering costs for Ohio families, Vivek Ramaswamy has made it clear he doesn’t care about Ohioans; he only cares about himself and enriching his billionaire buddies,” Bullock said.
Polling suggests the race between Ramaswamy and Acton will be a tight one, with the Real Clear Politics’ average of polling showing a dead heat despite President Trump winning Ohio by commanding margins in the past three presidential election cycles, including by 12 points over former Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024.
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