Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) did not mince words when assessing Vivek Ramaswamy's decisive defeat in Ohio's gubernatorial race, telling former ESPN host Sage Steele on her podcast that the Republican candidate got "beat like a drum."
"Ohio governor. I mean, how bad did they beat Vivek like a drum? Now part of that was Vivek, quite frankly. I don't know why they would have pushed him to be the candidate there," DeSantis said, referencing his own Midwestern roots. "My mom's from Youngstown. Ohio is a working-class state, very blue collar."
The governor, who has been a vocal critic of the GOP's direction, argued that Ramaswamy's background as a biotech entrepreneur and his advocacy for foreign worker visas clashed with Ohio's electorate. "Vivek, he's a tech guy, he did this Alzheimer's drug, and he wants to bring in people, foreign worker on visas," DeSantis said. "That is not the type of person that's going to sell—and I know he shot himself in the foot. I know he did a lot of other stuff to make it a real landslide against him. But even with that, it's like, you know, you got to meet the voters where they are on some of this stuff."
Democrat Amy Acton, a former state health director, flipped the Ohio governor's mansion on Tuesday, defeating Ramaswamy by a margin of roughly 8 points, according to Decision Desk HQ. Acton becomes the first Democrat to win the governorship in Ohio in 15 years and the first woman elected to the office in state history.
Ramaswamy, a billionaire who ran against DeSantis in the 2024 Republican presidential primary, had the backing of President Trump and Vice President Vance in his gubernatorial bid. However, his campaign was marred by a controversial ad featuring Acton's estranged mother, who called her daughter a "liar." Acton responded by detailing a childhood of abuse, including rape charges against her deceased stepfather, which sparked widespread backlash.
DeSantis's comments come as he positions himself as a potential 2028 contender, and they highlight the ongoing intra-party tensions over the GOP's path forward. The Florida governor has previously argued that the party's midterm losses were a clear rebuke of Trump and the GOP Congress, and he has warned Republicans against denying war-driven costs that affect working families.
The Ohio result is part of a broader reshaping of the GOP's 2028 race, with Vance wounded by his association with Ramaswamy's ad and figures like DeSantis and Rubio rising in prominence. Meanwhile, Democrats have seized on the momentum, flipping seats in Florida and elsewhere, as seen in Pia Dandiya's upset in Florida's 22nd District.
DeSantis's criticism of Ramaswamy's appeal to blue-collar voters echoes his own focus on working-class issues, a theme he has emphasized in his second term. "You got to meet the voters where they are," he said, a lesson he believes Ramaswamy failed to learn.
The Hill has reached out to Ramaswamy's campaign for comment on DeSantis's remarks.
