Ohio Gubernatorial Candidates Make Final Pre-Primary Pushes to Voters

COLUMBUS, Ohio—On the eve of Ohio’s primary election, the unopposed Democrat, the Republican frontrunner, and his challenger for governor all made campaign stops in or near the Buckeye State’s capital city.

On May 4, Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy received a standing ovation from about 150 people as he took the stage at a town hall meeting in Delaware County, just north of Columbus.

If Ramaswamy wins the May 5 primary, he becomes the Republican nominee to face off against Dr. Amy Acton, a Democrat and the state’s former health director, in the Nov. 3 general election. She has no opponent in the primary.

The current governor, Republican Mike DeWine, is serving his second term—the maximum allowed under Ohio law. Therefore, he was barred from running for reelection.

The governor has praised Acton for her work in his administration during the COVID-19 pandemic, but he endorsed his fellow Republican Ramaswamy. President Donald Trump has also endorsed Ramaswamy.

Ramaswamy, a self-made billionaire whose parents were immigrants from India, told the audience that neither fame nor fortune is motivating his gubernatorial run.

“There are other ways to acquire those things,” he said.

Rather, Ramaswamy said he wants to reinvigorate the American dream for Ohioans.

“My family has been blessed at a scale that my parents would have never imagined,” he said. “That story is only possible in the United States of America—the greatest country, I believe, known to the history of humankind.”

Ramaswamy said he feels a moral obligation to use his talents to improve society and to leave a better future for his children and for all Ohioans.

One attendee asked what Ramaswamy intended to do about people who defraud government programs such as Medicaid. Ramaswamy noted new reports alleging massive fraud in Ohio, following documented large-scale fraud in Minnesota and California.

If elected governor, Ramaswamy said, he would push “to enforce the laws that are already on the books,” rather than advocating for new laws. He would also insist upon stringent prosecution.

“If you’re committing fraud on our government, you’re a criminal. You’ll be prosecuted—and that money is going back into the pockets of our citizens,” he said, drawing a long round of applause.

In response to a citizen’s concerns about taxes and fees, Ramaswamy said: “When you vote for me …you’re voting for lower income taxes, lower property taxes, lower size of government, and therefore lower forms of taxation and regulation of every form.”

During Ramaswamy’s hour-long appearance at COhatch Polaris, a workspace that many start-up businesses share, neither the candidate nor questioners from the audience mentioned his Republican opponent.

Casey Putsch, who opposes Ramaswamy on the May 5 ballot, posted a video of his final pre-primary speech online on May 4.

In the video, Putsch says, “My soul is burning, and I’m mad. I’m really mad” over political and economic conditions in Ohio and America.

One of his key campaign messages, listed on a candidate questionnaire on Ballotpedia.org, says: “Ohio is suffering under a corrupt, out of touch political establishment that is selling out the state to mass immigration, data center special interests, and more. Casey Putsch is the America First alternative, running to Save Ohio with the support of everyday people like you.”

The video shows Putsch riding in a helicopter that circled sites in the Columbus area, followed by his speech before a bipartisan group called America First United.

In the speech, Putsch asserted that his grassroots campaign is “putting a massive dent in the campaign of the entire establishment, backed by the White House.”

Polling in April from Bowling Green State University showed, however, that 76 percent of likely voters expressed support for Ramaswamy, while Putsch was drawing 12 percent of the vote.

Fellow Republican Heather Hill also attracted 12 percent support in that poll. However, her running mate, Stuart Moats, resigned amid a dispute between the two of them, invalidating all ballots cast for the Hill/Moats ticket, the Ohio Secretary of State said.

Meanwhile, the uncontested Democratic gubernatorial candidate met on Columbus’ east side with campaign volunteers who were heading out to knock on residents’ doors for her.

Acton, in brief remarks to about two dozen people, said they likely would notice what she has detected during her campaign—voters are “exhausted by the hate and the chaos and the vitriol.”

“They are longing for something that feels lost. They are longing for public servants, again, who actually solve problems,” she said.

Acton said she would fill that bill.

Acton’s platform includes several health-related proposals, drawing on her medical background.

The Epoch Times asked Acton which of those are her top priorities.

Acton replied that, if elected, she would immediately oppose “a massive effort to try to kick people off of health insurance, people who, quite frankly, are already working.”

Secondly, she said, “We’re working on alleviating medical debt.”

Ramaswamy has stated that her proposed medical-debt-relief plan would cost taxpayers many billions of dollars—an assertion Acton disputes.