Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis criticized Vivek Ramaswamy and the Republicans who backed his unsuccessful Ohio gubernatorial campaign, saying the candidate was out of step with the state’s working-class voters.
Ramaswamy, a biotech entrepreneur, lost to Democrat Amy Acton by 7.9 percentage points. The defeat came as Democrats made major gains nationwide in elections widely seen as a judgment on President Donald Trump’s administration. Ramaswamy had Trump’s endorsement and support from advisers to Vice President JD Vance.
Speaking on the Sage Steele Show, DeSantis said he questioned why Republicans had chosen Ramaswamy as their candidate. Ohio, he noted, has a strong blue-collar identity, while Ramaswamy’s background is in technology and business.
Ramaswamy, who also sought the Republican presidential nomination in 2024, founded biotech company Roivant Sciences and investment firm Strive Asset Management. He briefly co-led the Department of Government Efficiency with Elon Musk.
DeSantis also took issue with Ramaswamy’s call to replace the lottery-based H-1B visa system with one based on merit. He argued that support for bringing in foreign workers was unlikely to resonate with Ohio’s labor force. Roivant had 29 H-1B applications approved from 2018 to 2023.
Strive moved its headquarters from Columbus to Dallas in 2025, months before Ramaswamy announced his campaign. He said he was no longer involved in the firm’s day-to-day operations, though he remained a major shareholder.
DeSantis said Ramaswamy had made choices that hurt his campaign, but added that Republicans still needed candidates who understood local voters and their concerns. He said Ohio might have been more competitive with a nominee better connected to the state’s blue-collar communities.
Ramaswamy’s campaign also faced criticism from both parties after airing an ad that used comments from Acton’s estranged mother to accuse the Democratic candidate of lying about experiencing poverty and homelessness as a child.
The ad did not mention that Acton had been estranged from her mother since she was 12. Her stepfather was arrested on charges of raping Acton, pleaded not guilty and left the area before trial. Court records indicate authorities sought his arrest for years. Acton’s brother has said their mother remained married to him until his death in 2004.
Ramaswamy’s defeat was accompanied by Republican Senate candidate Jon Husted’s loss to Democrat Sherrod Brown, who won by 4.9 points. The results came two years after Trump carried Ohio by 11.2 points.
DeSantis also faulted congressional Republicans, saying they were now on the defensive and had failed to turn Trump’s executive orders into law. He argued that the election results would limit the remainder of Trump’s term and could constrain a future Republican president, or give Democrats control of the federal government.
Asked about a possible 2028 campaign, DeSantis said he would seek office only if he believed he could produce significant results. He said he did not want to hold a position without being able to make a difference.
