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Ohio Deserves Proven, Not Promising
Vivek Ramaswamy, the biotech entrepreneur and former presidential candidate, launched his bid for Ohio governor on February 24, 2025, promising to slash taxes, shred regulations, and impose work requirements on Medicaid. Backed by Donald Trump and a roster of conservative heavyweights, Ramaswamy casts himself as a bold outsider ready to revive Ohio’s economic and cultural spirit. Yet, beneath the polished rhetoric and high-profile endorsements lies a candidate whose inexperience, controversial business history, and extreme policy proposals could spell trouble for the Buckeye State. Here’s why Ohioans should hesitate before casting their votes for him in 2026.
1. Lack of Governing Experience Risks Ineffective Leadership
Ramaswamy has never held elected office or managed a public institution. His resume boasts Harvard, Yale Law, and a near-billion-dollar fortune from Roivant Sciences and Strive Asset Management, but it’s devoid of the practical experience needed to navigate Ohio’s complex bureaucracy. Governing a state of 11.8 million people isn’t like running a startup—Ohio’s $81 billion biennial budget, sprawling public school system, and intricate Medicaid framework demand seasoned leadership.
Contrast this with outgoing Governor Mike DeWine, who brought decades of experience as a U.S. Senator, Attorney General, and Lieutenant Governor before taking office in 2019. Ramaswamy’s brief stint co-leading Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in late 2024 ended after just two months, with his exit on Inauguration Day (January 20, 2025) raising questions about his commitment. Critics like Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, a primary rival, have pointed to this pattern: “Ramaswamy quit on President Trump and DOGE on day one,” Yost said on February 24, 2025, per The Statehouse News Bureau. For a state facing a 4.5% unemployment rate (January 2025, BLS) and revised-down job growth, entrusting an untested novice could lead to costly missteps.
2. A Business Record Marred by Failure and Controversy
Ramaswamy touts his biotech success, but his flagship venture, Axovant Sciences, imploded spectacularly, costing investors—including Ohio’s own California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS)—millions. In 2015, he acquired intepirdine, a failed Alzheimer’s drug from GlaxoSmithKline, for $5 million, hyped it through a $315 million IPO, and drove Axovant’s valuation to $3 billion. When Phase III trials failed in September 2017, the stock crashed 75% overnight, dropping from $24 to $6, and later to under $1 by 2018—a 99% wipeout from its peak. Ramaswamy pocketed over $37 million by selling Roivant shares beforehand, while public investors like CalSTRS were left holding the bag (Forbes, Aug 21, 2023).
This wasn’t an isolated fluke. Strive Asset Management, his anti-ESG firm, faced lawsuits in 2023 from former employees Joyce Rosely and John Phillips, alleging a toxic workplace and pressure to skirt securities laws—claims Ramaswamy dismissed as “bare accusations” (Forbes, Aug 18, 2023). Though unresolved as of March 2025, these incidents paint a picture of a leader prioritizing personal gain over accountability. Ohioans, already wary of economic decline, deserve a governor whose track record inspires trust, not skepticism.
3. Extreme Policies Could Harm Vulnerable Ohioans
Ramaswamy’s campaign promises—like eliminating the state income tax and imposing Medicaid work requirements—sound bold but crumble under scrutiny. Ohio collected $9.8 billion from its income tax in fiscal year 2024 (Cleveland.com, Feb 24, 2025), funding schools, roads, and public safety. Zeroing it out, as Ramaswamy proposes, would either gut these services or force massive sales tax hikes—hitting working families hardest. He’s offered no detailed plan to offset this revenue loss, a red flag for a state where 13.4% live below the poverty line (U.S. Census, 2023).
His push for Medicaid work requirements, echoed in his February 24 speech, ignores reality: over 90% of Medicaid-eligible adults in Ohio already work, are disabled, or are caregivers, per the Kaiser Family Foundation (Ohio Capital Journal, Feb 24, 2025). Adding red tape could strip coverage from thousands—like the 36,000 Ohioans who lost Medicaid during a 2023 eligibility review (Community Solutions, 2023)—without boosting employment.
4. Alignment with Trump May Prioritize Politics Over Ohio’s Interests
Trump’s “COMPLETE AND TOTAL ENDORSEMENT” on February 24, 2025, via Truth Social, gives Ramaswamy a GOP primary edge—61% support in a Bowling Green State University poll (Newsweek, March 4, 2025)—but ties him to a polarizing figure whose agenda doesn’t always align with Ohio’s. Ramaswamy’s DOGE tenure pushed federal job cuts, like the 30,000 layoffs in February 2025 (Reuters, Feb 24, 2025), a model he wants to replicate in Ohio. Yet, slashing state jobs risks destabilizing an economy where public employment (e.g., 66,000 in education alone) supports rural counties hardest hit by manufacturing losses.
His Trump loyalty also raises doubts about independence. Will he govern for Ohioans or as a proxy for Trump’s national ambitions?
Posts on X (e.g., @RichardAngwin, March 9, 2025) warn his “extreme policies” and “Trump loyalty” could prioritize party over state needs—a concern in a state that’s shifted right but still values pragmatic leadership.
5. A Pattern of Quitting When the Going Gets Tough
Ramaswamy’s history suggests he bails when challenges mount. He dropped his 2024 presidential bid after a fourth-place Iowa finish (15% of the vote, January 2024), abandoned DOGE on day one, and moved Strive’s headquarters from Columbus to Dallas in November 2024 (Dallas Innovates, Nov 1, 2024), despite his Ohio roots. Yost’s jab—“He quit on Ohio”—stings because it’s grounded in this pattern. Governing demands resilience, not a tendency to pivot when the spotlight dims. Ohioans need a leader who’ll stay the course, not one who’s bolted from every tough fight so far.
Conclusion: Ohio Deserves Proven, Not Promising
Ramaswamy’s charisma and Trump-backed bravado may dazzle GOP primary voters, but Ohioans should look past the hype. His inexperience risks mismanagement, his business failures cast doubt on his economic stewardship, and his policies threaten the state’s most vulnerable. At 39, he’s young and ambitious, but ambition without substance is a gamble Ohio can’t afford. With unemployment ticking up to 4.5% and families stretched thin, the state needs a governor with a steady hand—not a biotech billionaire testing his latest experiment on 11.8 million lives. In 2026, Ohioans should demand proven leadership over untested promises. Now you know.
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