Vivek Ramaswamy’s GOP campaign for Ohio governor hit unexpected turbulence from parts of the MAGA movement who have soured on the Trump-endorsed candidate, according to MSNBC opinion blogger Ja’han Jones.
The backlash stems in part from policy disagreements and underlying racial prejudice, which appear to be pushing some conservatives away despite the candidate’s high-profile endorsement from President Donald Trump, Jones wrote Friday. Ramaswamy, who is Indian American and Hindu, has faced criticism for remarks he made last year in which he suggested that American culture has “venerated mediocrity over excellence,” and that Americans watch too much TV.
That discontent has grown into “something of a revolt from MAGA world in recent months,” according to Jones. “The anti-Ramaswamy animus was on full display after Amy Acton, an Ohio Democrat vying for her party’s gubernatorial nomination, rehashed Ramaswamy’s 2024 remarks,” he told readers.
Acton wrote on X: “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.”
That post triggered a wave of criticism from MAGA-aligned voters – toward Ramaswamy – with many echoing Acton’s framing or expressing outright prejudice.
Right-wing commentator Dinesh D’Souza, who has recently become a critic of anti-Indian racism within the movement, weighed in on X: “How ironic it will be if a brown American like Vivek actually helps to fix education and raise the prospects of white kids, while all the professional whiteys on X continue their idle boasting about how they too could get us to the moon, ‘just like some white dudes did in 1969.’”
Conservatives responded with a mix of outrage and racist commentary.
“Of course, none of this means that Ramaswamy’s gubernatorial hopes are dead in the water,” Jones concluded. “But it’s obviously not ideal for a candidate to see members of their own party up in arms and spreading racist invective about them.”
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