Whatever expectations Vivek Ramaswamy had for his campaign to become Ohio’s next governor, he now realizes that he is in the fight of his political life.
His fundraising and the money spent on his behalf make it clear.
The Cincinnatian — who became a billionaire in the biotech business — has raised 10 times as much money as his Democratic opponent, Amy Acton, the former Ohio Department of Health director during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ramaswamy has raised about $30 million to Acton’s $3 million. Yet polls show him in a virtual tie with Acton, who, like Ramaswamy, has never served in elective office.
The 10-to-1 comparison is more than a bit misleading.
The Republican’s fundraising includes a $25 million personal loan he made to his campaign — a loan he can cover later with funds raised from supporters over a long period of time, should he lose the election.
Acton’s campaign has taken donations from organized labor PACs, but the overwhelming majority of her money comes from low-dollar, grassroots donations.
According to Acton’s campaign, her campaign receives twice as many donations from Ohioans than Ramaswamy, who has a more national donor base.
Ramaswamy's campaign is benefiting from the work of V-PAC “Victors not Victims,” a right-wing independent expenditure committee.
V-PAC is willing to spend at least $25 million on a series of 30-second ads attacking Acton, making accusations against her that she says are outright lies at worst and misleading at best.
“This is just another desperate attempt to salvage his struggling campaign,” said Acton campaign manager Phillip Stein.“Ohioans know the truth — Vivek Ramaswamy is only out for himself.”
Neither Ramaswamy or V-PAC could be reached for comment on this ad campaign.
V-PAC’s first TV ad — with grainy, unflattering images of Acton — says that “she is the liberal who shut down Ohio” during the COVID pandemic six years ago, “closing your child’s school and your friend’s business.”
The ad ends with a glimpse of what is to come: “trust us, it gets worse from here.”
During the early days of the COVID pandemic, Acton worked for Ohio's Republican Governor Mike DeWine.
It was DeWine, not Amy Acton, who had the authority to issue the executive order in March 2020, ordering the shutdown.
“The decisions that were made during COVID; they were my decisions, so no one should blame someone else if they don’t like it,” DeWine told a Columbus TV station in December. “The buck stops with me.”
But Acton is not entirely on her own against V-PAC and Ramaswamy’s ability to throw millions into the pot.
The Democratic Governors Association (DGA) has plans to wade into the Ohio governor’s race in September, under the banner of a PAC called “Ohioans for Lower Costs.”
The DGA PAC already has bought up TV time beginning Sept. 8 and running through Election Day.
There’s no information yet just how much the DGA will spend in Ohio.
And whether the ads are negative toward Ramaswamy or positive messages about Acton will likely be determined by statewide polling when Labor Day rolls around.
These two and the PACs that support them will be fighting fire with fire until all the votes are counted.
Read more:
