New Delhi: Vivek Ramaswamy, the biotech entrepreneur endorsed by US President Donald Trump, lost Ohio to Democrat Amy Acton in the governor’s race on 4 November.
Acton will become the first woman to be the governor of Ohio, a Republican seat for more than 16 years. Acton is a public health physician and was the state health director during the Covid-19 pandemic years. She will lead a state that backed Trump by 11 points in 2024.
Acton will also govern along with a Republican-controlled legislature, setting up potential clashes over tax reform, school funding and datacenters.
Ramaswamy’s defeat in Ohio has raised questions about his strategy, despite getting a Trump endorsement the day he launched his campaign. He was also endorsed by US Vice President JD Vance, and received substantial financial backing from the Republicans.
Ramaswamy’s campaign largely focussed on promising to make Ohio free of income tax in the next ten years to revive the American dream. He also promised cutting back energy bills, and restoring law and order to Ohio’s cities. But three major mistakes may have cost him this election:
1. A personal attack that backfired
Perhaps his biggest mistake was an advertisement that featured Acton’s estranged mother, Donna Arthur. In the ad, Arthur called her daughter a liar and urged voters not to vote for her. According to The Washington Post, approximately $1 million was spent on the ad, which received caustic criticism from both Democrats and Republicans.
Acton had been removed from her mother’s custody at 12, after she her stepfather was indicted for raping her. She has been vocal about her homelessness and sexual abuse.
Initially, the ad’s origins were not clear when it had first appeared online, and spread widely on social media. However, Ramaswamy’s team later confirmed that it produced the controversial ad and that it will spend $4 million to promote it despite facing bipartisan rebuke.
2. Focusing on COVID-19 instead of everyday concerns
Ramaswamy repeatedly targeted Acton over the restrictions she placed during the pandemic when she was Ohio’s public health director. His emphasis on grievances from over five years ago may not have connected with the voters and their immediate concerns over cost of living.
Acton, meanwhile, focused her campaign on healthcare access, affordability and the rising cost of living. A physician by profession, she also drew on her difficult childhood to connect with voters.
3. Over-relying on money and political endorsements
Backed by Trump, Vance and Elon Musk, Ramaswamy had significant financial and political muscle. According to a report in The Washington Post, Ramaswamy and his allies have aired close to $140 million in advertising, more than three times what Acton and hers have.
Yet, the spending failed to translate into electoral support. Acton successfully positioned herself as an Ohio native fighting for ordinary families, while Ramaswamy struggled to overcome perceptions of being out of touch.
40-year-old Ramaswamy is an Indian-American entrepreneur and author. Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, he is a Harvard biology graduate and Yale Law School alumnus. He founded Roivant Sciences in 2014 and later became a prominent conservative voice through his 2021 book Woke, Inc. Ramaswamy first contested an election in the 2024 US presidential Republican primaries, but withdrew after finishing fourth.
Ramaswamy was never in the race. Ohio is a deeply conservative state and it will only accept a white Christian man/woman as the Governor.
Ramaswamy kept talking of American values and principles of founding fathers but none of that has ever mattered to the electorate. The conservative white Christian electorate would have never voted for a brown skinned Hindu anyway.
In fact, by backing him the Republicans and Trump/Vance made a blunder which might come back to haunt them in 2028.