Vivek Ramaswamy suffered a decisive defeat in Tuesday’s Ohio gubernatorial election, losing to Democrat Amy Acton by nearly eight percentage points. Acton, the state’s former health director, drew criticism for pandemic restrictions that closed schools and businesses and limited public gatherings in early 2020.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis criticized Ramaswamy during a Thursday interview, arguing that the Republican had been a poor fit for Ohio’s electorate.
“How bad did they beat Vivek like a drum?” DeSantis said. “Part of that was Vivek, quite frankly. I don’t know why they would have pushed him to be the candidate there.”
DeSantis, whose mother grew up in Youngstown, described Ohio as a blue-collar, working-class state. He said Ramaswamy’s background as a technology entrepreneur, along with his views on foreign workers and visas, may not have resonated with voters.
“He’s, like, a tech guy. He did this Alzheimer’s drug, and he wants to bring in people, foreign workers, on visas,” DeSantis said. He added that Ramaswamy had made other mistakes during the campaign, but said candidates also need to connect with voters’ concerns.
Ramaswamy faced criticism for several past comments and positions. He argued that American culture’s supposed preference for mediocrity helped explain why technology companies hired foreign-born and first-generation engineers over native-born Americans. He also said that “normalcy” was not enough to compete for technical talent globally.
- His company made extensive use of the H-1B visa program, which he later said he wanted to overhaul.
- He proposed replacing the program with a system focused on selecting “the very best of the best.”
- He has said immigrants can be central to the American dream.
- He has said that, as a Hindu, he believes Jesus is “a son of God,” rather than “the Son of God.”
DeSantis said Republicans might have held Ohio’s governor’s office with a candidate more closely aligned with the interests of the state’s blue-collar voters.
Two conservative media hosts reacted to DeSantis’ comments online. Steve Deace suggested the governor was settling a personal score, while Jesse Kelly said DeSantis had likely been waiting to criticize Ramaswamy for some time.
