HAMILTON — Standing amid hay bales, American flags, and the towering Ferris wheel of the Butler County Fair midway, Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy told supporters Tuesday that the heart of Ohio — and the country — runs through places like this.
Campaign signs reading “VIVEK FOR OHIO — LOWER COSTS. BIGGER PAYCHECKS.” lined the stage as Ramaswamy, in a blue button-down shirt and baseball cap, pointed into the crowd with a microphone in hand.
“It’s like coming back home,” Ramaswamy said. “I actually grew up in Butler County. I was born and raised off Tylersville Road.” He noted his father worked at the GE plant off I-75 and spotted his first-grade teacher, Mrs. Hendel, in the audience, recalling a recent visit with his own children to Evendale Elementary. Ramaswamy framed the November election as the most consequential governor’s race in state history and drew a direct contrast with his Democratic opponent, former Ohio Health Director Amy Acton. He called the choice one between “the most conservative governor we have ever seen” and “the first socialist governor Ohio has ever had,” referring to Acton as “the Anthony Fauci of Ohio.” He criticized Acton’s role during the COVID-19 pandemic, saying public schools were closed for nearly two years while private schools, including St. Xavier High School where he later attended, closed for only five days. “Those kids in the public schools… will never get those two years of their education back,” Ramaswamy said. “Now the Democrats preach about inequality — well, they caused that inequality.” Ramaswamy pledged to bring high-paying jobs to Ohio, end sanctuary city policies (including in Cincinnati), support law enforcement, lower electric bills through expanded energy production, aggressively fight Medicaid fraud, and deliver lower costs, bigger paychecks, and better schools.
Property Taxes, Income Taxes, and Government Spending
Answering questions from the crowd, Ramaswamy called property taxes “insanely high” and “unacceptable.” He blamed post-COVID federal spending for inflating home values on paper, leaving many residents — especially those on fixed incomes — with far higher tax bills. His plan, he said, would reset the property tax base to pre-pandemic levels within the first six months of 2027 and then cap growth, describing it as “the biggest property tax cut in the history of the state of Ohio.” He insisted the reduction could be achieved without cutting funding for police, fire, or schools by targeting waste, fraud, and abuse. Ramaswamy also restated his goal of making Ohio a zero state income tax state. “You get to keep what you earn. It is your money, not the government’s,” he said, arguing it would attract investment while cutting red tape for small businesses. He noted Ohio’s 88 counties and roughly 2,000 taxing authorities as examples of excessive government. On the state budget surplus and gas tax, he said any extra revenue should return to taxpayers through property tax relief or lower consumer taxes. He highlighted an estimated $4.7 billion that could come back to Ohioans by cracking down on Medicaid fraud, pointing to a Tennessee model and recent discussions with federal officials.
Schools, Crime, Abortion, and Election Integrity
On education, Ramaswamy argued the biggest problem is not funding but the erosion of standards. He proposed requiring every Ohio high school graduate to pass the same civics test given to legal immigrants and ending social promotion so third-graders who cannot read do not advance. “Passing a kid along like a widget on an assembly line isn’t compassion, that is cruelty,” he said. He told a retired educator that he supports rethinking Ohio’s school funding formula to include a stronger statewide component, which he said could ease local property tax pressure while raising performance standards. On public safety, Ramaswamy blamed activist judges and prosecutors for releasing repeat violent offenders on low bond. He pledged greater transparency and accountability, noted the recent endorsement of the Fraternal Order of Police, and said the state should rebuild psychiatric hospitals so county jails are no longer the primary form of mental health care. Ramaswamy described himself as “as pro-life as they come” and called Acton “the single most pro-abortion governor the state of Ohio has ever seen,” criticizing the use of state dollars to fund Planned Parenthood. He said he would instead support crisis pregnancy centers.
He also urged support for Issue 3 on the November ballot, which would require government-issued photo ID to vote and place the requirement in the state constitution. “There aren’t that many 80-20 issues in politics — this is one of them,” he said. An 18-year-old asked about Flock cameras. Ramaswamy expressed concern about the growth of a surveillance state in the AI era, saying America should not compete with China by becoming more like it. He again tied the issue to Acton, claiming she had overstated COVID risks and supported expanded government power. Throughout the appearance, Ramaswamy mixed personal stories with policy proposals and closed by urging Butler County residents to vote and bring others with them. “If you all come out and vote… I promise you that my family and I, we will do our part to make sure that Butler County’s best days, Ohio’s best days, and through Ohio, America’s best days are actually still ahead of us.” The fairgrounds setting — carnival rides, campaign signs, and local supporters in red shirts — underscored Ramaswamy’s effort to root his statewide campaign in the southwest Ohio community where he was raised while drawing a clear contrast with Acton’s record as the state’s former top health official.
(Editor's Note: AI-Assisted Copy)
