Ethics Complaint Filed Over Vivek Ramaswamy’s Mystery $500,000 Credit Card Bill

For Immediate Release:
July 8, 2026

Contact:
Izzi Levy, 202-739-2506
ilevy@demgovs.org

Ethics Complaint Filed Over Vivek Ramaswamy’s Mystery $500,000 Credit Card Bill

An Ohio elected official has filed an ethics complaint against Vivek Ramaswamy’s campaign for governor for failing to disclose half a million dollars in spending on the campaign credit card. Under Ohio’s campaign finance laws, campaigns are required to provide “details including the amount of money, who the money went to and what it was used for” for every expenditure over $25, yet since last year, the Ramaswamy campaign has reported over $500,000 simply as “credit card payments.”

“Vivek Ramaswamy will take every chance he gets to pull a fast one on Ohioans — even if it means breaking the law to avoid showing how he’s spending his campaign dollars,” said DGA spokesperson Izzi Levy. “Why would anyone ever trust this scammer anywhere near the governor’s office?”

NBC 4: Lawmaker files complaint alleging Ramaswamy improperly reported funds

• Ohio Senate Democrats filed a complaint with the secretary of state Tuesday alleging Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy violated campaign finance law by failing to disclose $500,000 in payments.
• State Sen. Kent Smith (D-Euclid) filed the complaint on Tuesday, alleging Ramaswamy and his running mate, state Senate President Rob McColley, violated campaign finance law by not specifying what the credit cards were used for. Smith argues that the credit card payments could reflect any purchases, allegedly violating the specificity that the law requires.
• “While initially that may be proper for them to submit it that way, at some point, eventually, they need to identify any and all of those (expenses),” said Phil Richter, executive director of the Ohio Elections Commission from January 1995 to Dec. 31, 2025.
• Richter said campaigns have an obligation to identify any expenditures of $25 or more and specify what the funds are used for. Ohio law states all candidates must file campaign finance reports that “set forth in detail the contributions and expenditures of the committee.” The law requires details including the amount of money, who the money went to and what it was used for.
• Across campaign finance filings, Ramaswamy has reported $509,473.01 in credit card payments since beginning his campaign in 2025. All payments went to American Express and were documented between April 2025 and June 2026.
• “I would like to think that an experienced campaign manager would certainly understand campaign finance filings and the need — or certainly at least the campaign treasurer — should realize that while they can initially file a report that just kind of lays out, ‘OK, we had all these expenses,’ eventually you’ve got to submit that information to the secretary’s office to clarify what it is that those expenses were,” Richter said.

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