President Donald Trump’s voters shredded Vivek Ramaswamy’s bid for Ohio governor, knocking the Republican as rich, out of touch and full of empty promises.
The voters, all of whom backed Trump in 2024 but now disapprove of his job performance, spoke with former GOP pollster Sarah Longwell for an episode of The Bulwark’s “Focus Group” podcast released Saturday.
“I guess if he’s one of Trump’s boys, that tells me all I need to know,” one voter said. “The only thing I’ve heard about him is that he’s for the data centers, and I think about how does that help me as a person, as a working person.”
She added, “So anybody who’s for data centers, you’re mud to me. I don’t give a rat’s a– about you.”
Others zeroed in on how Ramaswamy made his fortune. One voter said his work in the pharmaceutical industry made them “skeptical” of him, while another pointed to attack ads airing in their area.
“I see the commercials all the time, you know, that he knew this drug didn’t work, but he was pushing it so he could make millions of dollars,” the voter said.
Another voter said Ramaswamy’s wealth left him disconnected from ordinary Ohioans.
“I just know Vivek is extremely rich,” the voter said. “Not that that’s a bad thing, but most of the people in power are, and they just have no clue what it’s like to be a middle-class person right now.”
A different voter said Ramaswamy seemed to have few real ties to the state and came across as a “Republican agenda candidate.”
Even voters leaning toward Ramaswamy sounded unenthused, Longwell noted. One said his pitch to eliminate the state income tax was appealing but likely “empty promises.” Another said he had liked Ramaswamy’s 2024 presidential run but had grown jaded.
“I don’t believe anything anymore,” the voter said. “It’s hard to buy into something and then, you know, get fooled and not be jaded.”
Longwell noted the voters were exactly the kind of people who should embrace Ramaswamy, yet she heard “not a lot of excitement” for him.
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