Taft endorsement highlights Ramaswamy’s reach inside Ohio’s GOP establishment
On the surface, it might seem unremarkable for a former Republican governor to endorse the GOP frontrunner in next year’s gubernatorial election.
But former Gov. Bob Taft’s endorsement shows the breadth within the coalition, at least among political insiders, that Vivek Ramaswamy is putting together as he runs for governor.
That’s because Taft had grown estranged from the Republican Party since Donald Trump’s emergence. The former governor publicly endorsed Democratic then-Sen. Sherrod Brown in last year’s election over Republican Bernie Moreno. Taft said at the time he disagreed with Brown politically, but he felt Brown was an effective advocate for the state. Taft also broke ranks with his party in 2023 when he opposed a Republican effort to block an abortion-rights amendment that voters later approved.
In a statement on Wednesday, Taft called Ramaswamy “an exceptional leader” with Ohio roots and a “deep commitment to the state.
“Vivek brings the kind of thoughtfulness, respect for others, and innovative ideas that can unite people across party lines, and I’m confident he will lead Ohio with vision and civility, always guided by the values that define our state: hard work, integrity, and common sense,” Taft said.
Ramaswamy returned the love, calling Taft “a true Ohio statesman.”
Ramaswamy previously gained some other crossover support that his campaign has touted to reporters. But unlike those groups, which include business interests and labor unions, Taft has nothing to gain by betting on a winning horse, so to speak, in next year’s election. He joins other members of Ohio’s GOP political establishment – former Sen. Rob Portman and former U.S. Rep. Brad Wenstrup – in endorsing Ramaswamy this week.
The endorsement also comes as speculation has intensified that former Democratic congressman Tim Ryan may soon enter the governor’s race. The only candidate in that race so far is Dr. Amy Acton, the former state health director.
In a statement, Acton campaign manager Phil Stein said Acton has been endorsed by Republicans and Democrats across the state.
“It’s no surprise that Vivek Ramaswamy is circling the wagons as he realizes his special interest agenda of catering to billionaires and raising costs for the rest of us is being soundly rejected across Ohio,” Stein said.
Election Night’s surprise loser? Culture warriors
Last week we talked about the surprise winners of the 2025 elections – local levies.
This week, Jake highlighted the surprise losers – incumbent school board members who governed as culture warriors.
The Biden years drew a powerful backlash from social conservatives who perceived a coded liberalism creeping in through the public school system. Outside candidates won once-sleepy school board races with promises to restrict which bathrooms transgender students can use and to eradicate “critical race theory” and its purported offshoots from the curriculum.
But Jake found that in last week’s urban, suburban and rural school board races, in districts ranging from ruby red to deep blue, culture war-focused incumbents lost decisively. Rachel Coyle, a political operative who tracked school board races statewide for a progressive advocacy group, said the results show Democrats are not just angry but informed enough to whittle away at Republican gains at the local level.
Even Mike Gonidakis, a Republican lobbyist and longtime anti-abortion advocate, tipped his cap.
“[Democrats] were motivated to show up and speak their mind, and unfortunately social conservatives in those races stayed home. Why? I don’t know. Shame on them. I don’t know,” he said.
National congressional Republicans lay out path to victory
National Republicans say they’re feeling good about their chances to flip three U.S. House seats under Ohio’s new congressional map in next November’s election.
A new memo from the National Republican Congressional Committee lays out their thinking as the party searches for a candidate to run in one of them.
The memo says that, under the new map, Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur now faces the steepest partisan disadvantage of any incumbent member of Congress, as measured by the results of the 2024 presidential election. The changes made Kaptur’s district, which President Donald Trump won by 6 points in 2024 – a year that Kaptur was narrowly reelected – four percentage points more favorable for Republicans.
The new map also converts the 1st Congressional District, represented by Cincinnati Democrat Greg Landsman, from a district that Trump solidly lost in 2024 to one he narrowly won. Gov. Mike DeWine won the new 1st District in 2022. So did Vice President JD Vance when he ran for the U.S. Senate the same year.
The NRCC’s spin machine works a little harder to explain how a Republican might defeat Akron U.S. Rep. Emilia Sykes, whose 13th Congressional District becomes more Democratic-leaning under the new map. The changes were significant enough that the race’s Republican frontrunner, former state lawmaker Kevin Coughlin, swiftly ended his campaign after the map was approved.
The memo points out that DeWine won Sykes’ district, as it’s drawn now, by 11 points in 2022. It also says former Vice President Kamala Harris won it by fewer points last year than former President Joe Biden did in 2020.
“With the right candidate, resources, and message focused on economic strength, border security, and working-class values, OH-13 remains well within reach for Republicans,” the memo says.
Which Charlie Kirk bill to pass?
Statehouse Republicans have a question to answer: if a Charlie Kirk bill is to pass, which one?
On Wednesday, a long line of advocates poured into the House Education Committee to testify in support of the Charlie Kirk American Heritage Act, which allows teachers to teach the “positive impacts” of religion in the classroom. Republicans canceled a “possible” vote on the bill on the schedule Wednesday, but they can revisit the legislation any time.
That hearing came a week after House Speaker Matt Huffman told reporters he’s opposed to another proposal, from GOP Reps. Adam Mathews and D.J. Swearingen, to impeach Cincinnati-area municipal judge Ted Berry.
On Facebook the day after Kirk’s death, Berry, a Democrat, wrote blurbs like “Rest in Hatred & Division!” and “How’s he feel about gun violence & gun control in Hell, Now?”
“Such remarks made by a sitting judge are profoundly inconsistent with the standards of impartiality, dignity, and respect required under the Ohio Code of Judicial Conduct,” Swearingen testified during a committee hearing earlier this month.
Speaking with reporters recently, Huffman called Berry’s comments “outrageous.” But he said there’s a high political bar to approve impeaching a sitting judge. He also said Berry is set to leave office at the end of the year due to term limits anyway.
“I understand that the legislators wanted to make a particular point, but I don’t see it going any further than what we’ve already had,” Huffman said.
Meanwhile, Sen. Al Cutrona’s bill to designate Oct. 14 as “Charlie Kirk Memorial Day” hasn’t yet gotten a hearing.
Kirk, the influential conservative podcaster and organizer, was killed in September while giving a speech on a college campus in Utah. Kirk regularly inflamed liberals with Christian conservatism and inflammatory commentary. But he also built a media powerhouse and an organizing network seen as key to President Donald Trump’s 2024 success.
The range of bills in his name reflect the push and pull of his legacy after his assassination rocked American politics.
In the news
Ohio ratepayers avoid $400 million in electric costs: The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal Monday from two investor-owned utilities around the state, letting stand a ruling that will save Ohioans an estimated $400 million on their monthly electric bills by 2031. Read Jake Zuckerman’s story.
Culture warriors lost school board races all around Ohio: In cities large and small around the state, conservative incumbents who ran for school boards on culture war agendas lost re-election. Outside candidates struggled as well. While off-year elections are quirky, some see ebbing political strength in anti-LGBTQ+ politics. Read the story.
Ohio elections panel delays Larry Householder case: The Ohio Elections Commission held a public hearing on Thursday to consider multiple state elections complaints against Householder. The cases parallel federal corruption charges that led to Householder’s 2020 arrest and ultimately to a conviction and 20-year prison sentence in 2023. Read the story.
School can’t punish students for misgendering transgender classmates: Judges on the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled it’s likely unconstitutional for an Ohio school to punish students who decline to refer to transgender classmates by their preferred pronouns. Read the story.