Fact Check: Examining Vivek Ramaswamy’s Comments About Ohio’s Status Among States

In a moment that has resurfaced amid Ohio’s heated gubernatorial race, Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy’s 2023 comment that “Ohio is a good state; I can’t say it’s the best state” has drawn renewed attention following his primary victory last week.

The quip, made during a speech at Michigan’s Hillsdale College on January 24, 2023, appears to have been delivered as a lighthearted joke, evidenced by audience laughter and the context of his remarks. In the speech, Ramaswamy recounted a conversation with a student named Emily.

“I was sitting next to Emily, who asked me what my favorite state was. Was it Ohio, where I’m from? And I said, ‘Ohio is a good state; I can’t say it’s the best state,'” Ramaswamy told the audience. “She said, ‘I can tell you what’s the best state, it’s Indiana,’ where she’s from. So it’s the cussedness of the Hillsdale student.”

The full speech, titled “The Rebellious Entrepreneur,” was later uploaded to YouTube by both Hillsdale College and Ramaswamy’s own channel. According to a Hillsdale news release, the talk “highlighted the need for businesses to return to a focus on excellence over politics.”

This statement has gained renewed traction as Ramaswamy secured the Republican nomination on May 5, defeating challenger Casey Putsch. He will face Democratic nominee Amy Acton in the November general election to succeed term-limited Republican Governor Mike DeWine.

Ramaswamy’s political rise represents a swift transition from business to electoral politics. The billionaire entrepreneur first gained national attention as an author and commentator on corporate culture with books including “Woke, Inc.: Inside Corporate America’s Social Justice Scam” and “Nation of Victims: Identity Politics, the Death of Merit, and the Path Back to Excellence.”

His political ambitions became evident in 2023 when he launched a presidential campaign, positioning himself as an “anti-woke” conservative alternative in the Republican primary. Though his White House bid was unsuccessful, Ramaswamy suspended his campaign in January 2024 and endorsed former President Donald Trump, maintaining his visibility within conservative circles.

When contacted about the resurfaced Ohio comment, Ramaswamy’s campaign did not respond directly. However, Ohio Republican Party Chairman Alex Triantafilou defended the candidate in an email statement, saying, “Vivek Ramaswamy is a born and bred Ohioan whose passion is to make the Buckeye State a place of excellence for generations to come. Anyone who claims otherwise isn’t paying attention.”

The comment’s resurrection illustrates the intense scrutiny candidates face in the digital age, where past statements can quickly resurface during campaign seasons. Political analysts note that such comments, even when made in jest, can sometimes become focal points in tight races where candidates’ commitment to their constituencies is questioned.

The Ohio gubernatorial race is expected to be closely watched nationally, as it represents one of several competitive statewide contests in a perennial swing state. While Ohio has trended more Republican in recent presidential elections, statewide races have remained competitive.

For Ramaswamy, whose brief political career has already included a presidential bid and now a gubernatorial campaign, the comment represents an early test of his political messaging as he transitions from primary mode to a general election campaign against Acton, a former Ohio health director who gained prominence during the early COVID-19 pandemic response.