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US Politics

DeSantis says Ramaswamy was not in tune with Ohio voters after losing governor's race

Florida's governor said on the Sage Steele Show that Ramaswamy, the Republican beaten by Democrat Amy Acton, wants to bring in foreign workers on visas.

6 news outlets reported this · Little coverage from liberal outlets
Liberal0 outletslittle coverageCenter1 outletDeSantis's 'like a drum' jab at RamaswamyConservative5 outletsDeSantis's blunt verdict on Ramaswamy's Ohio loss
Published 2 min read
Overview

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, criticized Vivek Ramaswamy, the Republican who lost Ohio's governor race on Tuesday to Democrat Amy Acton. Speaking on The Sage Steele Show, DeSantis asked, "How bad did they beat Vivek like a drum?" and said part of the loss was Ramaswamy himself. He called Ohio a working-class, blue-collar state.

He described Ramaswamy as a tech guy who wants to bring in foreign workers on visas, and said that is not the kind of person who will sell with those voters. DeSantis said Ramaswamy "shot himself in the foot" and that Republicans would have done better in Ohio with a candidate more in tune with blue-collar voters. Acton won by 7.9 percentage points, according to Fox News.

The Washington Examiner puts the margin at around 8 points with 98% of votes counted. Ramaswamy's campaign had drawn backlash over an ad featuring Acton's estranged mother. Fox News says Ramaswamy had Trump's endorsement and lost amid a blue wave in which Democrats won control of .

The Blaze reported that Ramaswamy's campaign did not immediately respond to its request for comment.

Key figures
  • 7.9 percentage points Acton's margin over Ramaswamy, per Fox News — Fox News
  • 4.9 percentage points Sherrod Brown's margin over Republican Jon Husted in the Ohio Senate race, per Fox News — Fox News
  • 11.2 percentage points Trump's winning margin in Ohio two years earlier, per Fox News — Fox News
  • $4 million Ramaswamy's reported spending to promote the ad with Acton's mother, per the Examiner — Washington Examiner
  • 29 H-1B applications approved between 2018 and 2023 Roivant Sciences, the company Ramaswamy founded, per Fox News — Fox News

Three sides of the story

Liberal0 outlets

Outlets on this side gave the story little coverage.

Center1 outlet

DeSantis's 'like a drum' jab at Ramaswamy

The Hill reports that DeSantis "took a swing" at Ramaswamy, who lost the Ohio governor's race as the Republican candidate. It quotes DeSantis saying Ohio voters beat Ramaswamy "like a drum." It also quotes him saying part of that was Ramaswamy himself, "quite frankly."

Conservative5 outlets

DeSantis's blunt verdict on Ramaswamy's Ohio loss

Fox News headlines DeSantis "nukes" the "tech guy" after an Ohio "drubbing." It adds Trump's endorsement, Roivant's 29 approved applications and DeSantis's remarks on Congress and 2028. The Washington Examiner says DeSantis "slammed"

Ramaswamy as out of touch. It also reports the $4 million spent on the ad featuring Acton's estranged mother. Just the News says DeSantis "bashes"

Ramaswamy after a " rout." It notes Ramaswamy was briefly named DOGE co-chair but never formally entered the administration. The Blaze says DeSantis "unloads" and lists Ramaswamy's earlier remarks on H-1B visas.

It quotes BlazeTV host Jesse Kelly: "Heavy D has been waiting two years to drop this hammer on Vivek." All four outlets carry DeSantis describing Ohio as a working-class state and Ramaswamy as a tech guy who wants to bring in foreign workers on visas.

Where outlets disagree
All sources: 7 articles from 6 outlets

Center (1)

Conservative (6)

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The US parliament: the Senate and the House of Representatives. A bill becomes law when both pass it and the president signs it.

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