Democratic candidate Amy Acton attacked Republican rival Vivek Ramaswamy, accusing him of being out of touch with the people he wants to govern in Ohio. Speaking to voters, Acton said she rejects Ramaswamy’s past comments about Americans and Ohioans being “lazy” and “mediocre,” and said he does not see the real challenges facing families in the state.“I’m running against a guy, Vivek Ramaswamy, who has said that people are struggling in Ohio because they’re lazy, they’re mediocre, they’re not working hard enough. And I can absolutely tell you that is not the Ohioans I know or see,” Acton said. She added that “he’s hardly ever in Ohio. He’s flying around in his private jet.”Acton told supporters she entered the governor’s race because “people in my state are struggling” and that she refuses to ignore the influence of “bad actors, special interests, and lobbyists” who she believes have taken Ohio in the wrong direction.The rivalry between the two candidates has picked up a year before the state heads to the polls. Acton has repeatedly brought up Ramaswamy’s 2024 remarks on H-1B visas and his earlier comments about Americans lacking drive. “Vivek Ramaswamy told us how he really feels when he said that Ohioans aren’t succeeding because they’re lazy and mediocre and watching too much TV,” she wrote in a recent post. “Ohioans are working harder than ever, they’re doing everything right, and they just can’t get enough breathing room.”Ramaswamy hit back by calling Acton “Dr Lockdown,” blaming her for Ohio’s early school closures during Covid. “Dr Lockdown led Ohio to be the first state in the nation to shut down public schools during Covid. Students suffered. Small businesses suffered. Families suffered,” he said.Critics in the MAGA base still grumble about Ramaswamy’s Indian origin and his past H-1B remarks, but President Donald Trump has given him a full endorsement.
