Ramaswamy outlines his vision for Ohio at Lincoln-Reagan event
Vivek Ramaswamy was unbothered by the protesters outside his appearance at the Wayne County Republican Party’s Lincoln-Reagan Dinner April 26.
A self-proclaimed believer in free speech for both sides, Ramaswamy went outside the Greystone Event Center in Wooster and spoke with some of those holding “Protect Democracy” signs and then invited one, a female Vietnam War veteran, to sit with him at his table in the banquet hall.
Called by county party Chair Doug Deeken “a warrior for conservatism” and by Ohio District 27 Sen. Kristina Roegner “a Constitutional conservative,” Ramaswamy outlined some changes ahead for Ohio should he be elected governor in 2026.
A former presidential candidate who has already garnered President Donald Trump’s endorsement, Ramaswamy said, “I am more optimistic about the future of our country than I ever had been. It is going to be the states that lead the way.”
Ohio, he said, already stands tall among the Midwest states. “Great is never good enough, and I believe we can do it if we believe in ourselves,” Ramaswamy said.
He promised, if elected governor, Ohio will no longer be known for its Rust Belt but rather as the Platinum Belt, utilizing the farmland, natural resources and population that made it great in the past.
It also will be a zero-income tax state, he said, “because you deserve to keep what you earn.”
Ohio also will be conservative and governed that way, according to Ramaswamy. “It will win us elections because it will put more money in people’s pockets — not only Republican pockets, but Democratic pockets.”
He also called for common-sense reforms to make Ohio more business-friendly. “We’re a red state,” he said, “but we don’t want to be a state of red tape.”
The candidate also extolled the virtues of a meritocracy, lauding the removal of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs from college campuses and calling on that same meritocracy to dictate salaries of public school teachers. And while he called for expanding school choice, Ramaswamy said he also wants to make public schools more competitive, with less absenteeism, no student cellphone usage, and better physical and mental health for students.
He said every high school senior should have to pass the same civics exam given to immigrants seeking citizenship.
“Excellence will be our destiny for our state,” he said. “We’re not whiners; we’re winners. We’re not victims; we’re victors. We don’t want to govern from a bubble, and we don’t want to govern for a bubble.”