On June 16, 2025, days after a gunman shot two Democratic state lawmakers at their homes in Minnesota – killing one and her husband – someone posted a message on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, directed at Vivek Ramaswamy.
“You need to condemn the war immediately before somebody assassinates you,” it read.
The billionaire Republican governor candidate reported it to Upper Arlington police, who launched an investigation that would eventually involve the FBI, subpoenas to Google, Meta, DoorDash, Wright State University and X itself, and the discovery that someone had been ordering unwanted pizzas to his home using a former campaign aide’s personal information.
It was one of three incidents in recent years in which Ramaswamy or his team told his hometown police that he was the target of a specific threat, and one of more than 100 instances in which police have responded to or patrolled his home since he moved to the affluent Columbus suburb in 2022.
In total, the calls offer a glimpse at the security realities – and some false alarms – faced by high-profile politicians in today’s political environment, where threats and even political violence have increased.
Read more about the 2026 race for governor: Ohio heads toward one of the most consequential November elections in years.
To report this story, Signal Statewide requested years’ worth of records of documented police interactions for the homes of Ohio’s two major candidates for governor: Ramaswamy and Dr. Amy Acton, a Democrat.
The documents show both nominees have faced security concerns – with Acton drawing protesters to her home in May 2020, when she served as Republican Gov. Mike DeWine’s health director during the early days of the COVID pandemic.
Police records also show another incident involving Acton that has been in the news recently: a resurfaced 2019 incident in which police went to Acton’s home to investigate a domestic disturbance after an Acton family member called the police. They concluded it was just a verbal argument between Acton and her husband, and left without recommending charges.
The records at Ramaswamy’s home, meanwhile, show no record of police investigating him. But they do document roughly 20 times that his security team has called the police, with three incidents leading to criminal investigations, two of which drew interest from the FBI.
Upper Arlington police didn’t return a message seeking comment for this story.
Evan Machan, a spokesperson for the Ramaswamy campaign, issued a statement.
“While we do not discuss specific safety protocols, all threats are taken seriously, and we are deeply grateful to the men and women who work every day to keep Ohio safe,” Machan said. “Vivek has been vocal about ending political violence in America, and he continues to lead by example on the campaign trail.”
Threatening tweet leads police to subpoena Pizza Hut, Wright State University
On June 16, 2025, Upper Arlington police received a report about the message someone posted on X that called on Ramaswamy to condemn “the war immediately before someone assassinates you.” Ramaswamy then found another comment the user made directed at someone else that asserted Ramaswamy didn’t “have any security either.”
The posts came days after the Israeli military, with U.S. assistance, bombed sites across Iran. It also came days after the shootings of the Democratic legislators in Minneapolis, which the police report directly references.
“Given the recent high-profile attacks on CEOs and lawmakers, the victim believes these statements were made to harass him and is concerned they may incite violence against him, by the poster, or others,” the report says.
While police were investigating, Ramaswamy’s security told them that earlier in the day, pizza was delivered to the home that no one there had ordered.
The case was assigned to a detective.
Through the course of the investigation, they determined someone had ordered Pizza Hut and Domino’s to Ramaswamy’s house. In one case, the caller made the order in the name of a former Ramaswamy campaign aide.
The FBI notified Upper Arlington police in late June that they had identified who made the X post – an individual in their early 40s.
In the coming weeks, Upper Arlington police heard back from subpoenas they’d issued to various companies. In July, they got one set of records from Facebook, apparently discovering a connection to Wright State University because they requested records from the university the same day.
By the end of the month, Upper Arlington police received records from Wright State identifying the owner of a university-issued email account. And in mid-August, X said it would provide user records that police had requested, the same day the detective said they got an email from the account.
The detective spoke with the account owner the following day, who said they had no intent to harm Ramaswamy, his property or his family, the report says.
The detective compiled his findings and shared them with the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for review. But after months of investigation, Ramaswamy’s security team informed the detective that Ramaswamy “will not complete a written statement about the incident.”
The report didn’t explain Ramaswamy’s reasoning, and the campaign didn’t provide additional detail when asked. The report also said police had been unsuccessful at connecting with the franchise owner for the local Domino’s Pizza restaurant.
“Due to the victim not willing to complete the necessary steps for prosecution, this information has been documented, added to the case file and the case will be closed for prosecution,” the report reads.
A Wright State spokesperson declined to comment on what connection the X user may have had to the university, citing privacy laws.
Swatting, suspicious powder incidents
There were two other instances in which Ramaswamy reported being the victim of a crime to Upper Arlington police.
One December 2023 incident involved “swatting” – a dangerous hoax when someone calls police to make them falsely believe they are responding to a violent incident at the target’s home.
It started when someone told a Veterans Affairs crisis chat hotline that they had killed five family members at Ramaswamy’s address and were holding a sixth at gunpoint. Before responding, police contacted Ramaswamy’s security team, who told them there was no disturbance.
An Upper Arlington detective investigated, obtaining the chat logs. A subpoena then found the suspect used a VPN, software that can hide someone’s internet service provider address, that routed through an address in Sweden. After the VPN provider said they didn’t collect any user information for privacy reasons, police dropped the case.
In another incident, Ramaswamy’s team called police in February 2025 after an envelope containing suspicious white powder was sent to his home. This occurred around the same time that other Republican officials reported receiving similar white powder, including Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose.
In the Ramaswamy incident, the fire department’s local HAZMAT unit responded and tested the powder, finding it to be innocuous. The local FBI also responded to the scene and picked up the investigation. Upper Arlington police records provide no further details, but on April 28, 2026, a Columbus-area man, Ronald Lidderdale, admitted to sending threatening letters to Ramaswamy, Gov. Mike DeWine and other Ohio Republican political figures as he pleaded guilty to numerous federal criminal charges.
The incident wasn’t the first time someone had been charged for threatening Ramaswamy. In December 2023, a New Hampshire man sent a violent, threatening message in response to a text from Ramaswamy’s campaign. He was charged federally with making an interstate threat, but died while the case was ongoing.
Upper Arlington police records show another instance in March 2025 in which they fielded a call from a friend of Ramaswamy’s who described a classmate threatening Ramaswamy’s life. They referred the friend to Washington, D.C. police, saying they’d discuss it with Ramaswamy.
Ramaswamy discussed the issue of political violence during a May 5 interview that was televised on Fox News, referencing last year’s assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk and the recent attempt by a gunman to storm a Washington, D.C. event where President Donald Trump was speaking.
“This has to stop,” Ramaswamy said. “I think … one of the untold, unappreciated stories of the decline of American politics is the quiet normalization and acceptance of this kind of violence.”
Some false alarms at Ramaswamy’s home
In addition to documenting threats on Ramaswamy’s life, police records also show that for home workers, neighbors and other passersby, stopping near his home can result in a conversation with police.
Upper Arlington police’s command staff at times have ordered extra patrols around Ramaswamy’s home, which is in a secluded neighborhood, but located near several major roads. After he launched his presidential campaign in 2023, police temporarily createed a no-parking area near his home – with designated space for protesters and media. Formal patrol orders issued in September 2024 and March 2025 lay out the need for patrols as often as twice a shift, describing “numerous recent death threats” toward Ramaswamy and his family.”
Roughly once a month, Ramaswamy’s private security team has called police to report a suspicious person. None have resulted in police finding someone who was a confirmed threat.
These calls include one incident in February 2024, when Ramaswamy’s team reported a suspicious man near the home.
Police spoke with the man. They determined he was a neighbor checking out the progress of a new house being built.
In September 2024, Ramaswamy’s team called twice in the same day to report a suspicious male. The man told Ramaswamy’s security staff, and later local police, that he was a political canvasser. The interaction was documented and attached to the order issued that month calling for extra patrols.
And in December 2025, Ramaswamy’s security team reported a man walking around the neighborhood taking pictures of homes. He told police he was calling his wife in Mexico, who’d never seen snow, so she could see the neighborhood’s Christmas lights.
In several instances, Ramaswamy’s security team called police to report suspicious vehicles before a quick investigation revealed the person had a clear reason to be there.
These incidents involved a roofing contractor, a snow removal worker, and a man whose wife worked as a house cleaner.
Security called the police in January 2026 when they saw an older man sitting in his car outside Ramaswamy’s house, appearing to take notes. Police found the man had an appointment with Ramaswamy that afternoon, but had arrived a few hours early by accident.
Police in Bexley respond to suspicious vehicles, ‘domestic disturbance’ at Acton’s home
Police records regarding Acton’s home in Bexley, another Columbus suburb, are much less voluminous and less detailed than those provided by Upper Arlington police.
But they show how Acton also required a heightened security presence at her home during her time as DeWine’s health director.
Police documented 22 interactions at her home between April 2020 and June 2020, during the coronavirus pandemic’s early days when DeWine ordered the closure of schools, businesses and other parts of public life.
One incident was recorded as a “suspicious vehicle,” which resulted in police giving a warning. Another was marked as a “disturbance.”
Around this time, protesters regularly gathered at Acton’s home, drawing an angry response from DeWine. Some of the demonstrators were armed, and a small number held antisemitic signs. Acton is Jewish.
A friend of Acton’s at the time told Governing Magazine the demonstrations took a toll on Acton’s mental health. “She was worried about her family’s safety and her own safety as well as her mental health,” Columbus City Health Commissioner Mysheika Roberts said.
The patrols apparently dropped off after Acton quit as health director in June 2020, although police warned another “suspicious person” in April 2022 and responded to a report of an open window in August 2023. There have been no recent reports of police activity, even as Acton has emerged as a political candidate.
Signal Statewide requested police records for both candidates’ homes after one incident from August 2019 at Acton’s home got widespread media attention.
Records show police investigated a “domestic disturbance” between Acton and her husband. Records of the incident are limited, and police said a 911 tape no longer exists.
But a report says a police investigation found “no evidence of physical violence,” and Acton said in an interview that she had been arguing with her husband about her work hours. A family member called 911 after she accidentally knocked a picture frame off the wall, she said.
“Throughout her entire career as a public servant, Dr. Acton’s commitment to the people of Ohio has always come first,” Addie Bullock, an Acton campaign spokesperson, said when asked how security concerns at her home have affected her. “As governor, she will continue to be laser-focused on Ohioans and the issues that matter most to them, from rising costs to investing in our public schools.”
Lawmakers propose providing state-funded security for governor candidates
State Sen. Andy Brenner, a Delaware County Republican, said the threats like those Ramaswamy has faced – and the protests at Acton’s home – are among the reasons he has introduced a bill that would provide extra taxpayer-funded security for “eligible candidates,” including those running for governor or lieutenant governor.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol, the closest thing Ohio has to a state police force, currently provides a security detail for the governor, visiting dignitaries, and other state officials at the governor’s request.
In the bill’s current form, candidates would get state protection earlier if they’re endorsed by a state political party. It would set aside $10 million to cover the costs. The bill is co-sponsored by Sen. Theresa Gavarone, a Bowling Green Republican.
Brenner and Gavarone introduced their bill about a month following conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s assassination last September. It hasn’t received a committee hearing, but Brenner said he’s talked with colleagues about why heightened security is necessary. DeWine has said he supports the bill.
Brenner said, like Ramaswamy, he’s personally been swatted and received a letter with suspicious powder in it. While campaigning this year, Brenner also said he’s talked with a couple of people who told him they have ruled out running for public office out of concern for their safety.
He said the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner last month heightens his concern.
“We talk about election integrity. Part of election integrity is protecting the candidates,” Brenner said. “You don’t want extremists assassinating or disrupting majority elections, because that has a chilling effect on democracy.”
