Flight Risk: Vivek Ramaswamy Spent Almost $700,000 Leasing Private Planes for Campaign Events

Flight Risk: Vivek Ramaswamy Spent Almost $700,000 Leasing Private Planes for Campaign Events

University of Akron Political Scientist David Cohen: “The fact that Ramaswamy has spent two years flying around on his own private jet is really a bad look”

New reporting from Ohio Capital Journal reveals that Vivek Ramaswamy has dropped nearly $700,000 in campaign funds on private plane leases since the start of his campaign.

According to the report, in addition to the flights he’s taken on his own private jet, Ramaswamy has rented planes to travel to “at least six campaign events in Ohio, Washington D.C., and Salt Lake City in April and May.” Within Ohio, he has flown from Columbus to Cleveland, Columbus to Port Clinton, and Columbus to Youngstown – all flights that last less than 30 minutes and routes that are easily drivable. One longtime Ohio political observer noted that there has never been “a candidate for Ohio office that has used a private jet as their main mode of transportation for campaign events.”

“As Ohioans are feeling the pain of sky-high gas prices, scam artist Vivek Ramaswamy is using campaign funds to travel high in the sky on his rotating fleet of private aircraft to the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars,” said DGA spokesperson Izzi Levy. “It’s easy for Ramaswamy to call Ohioans’ concerns about affordability a ‘buzzword’ and to push toxic plans that would make life even more expensive while his head is in the clouds, using his donors’ dollars to pay for his lavish lifestyle. If Ramaswamy ever comes back down to earth, he’s in for a bumpy landing: Ohioans don’t trust him and they know they can’t afford him as governor.”

Ohio Capital Journal: Ohio Governor Race: Vivek Ramaswamy spent nearly $700,000 leasing private jets for campaign events 

• Ohio Republican candidate for governor Vivek Ramaswamy has spent nearly 700,000 dollars leasing a private jet since the start of his campaign, according to campaign finance records.
• The Republican candidate spent nearly $560,000 leasing a private jet from V Leasing LLC, whose address listed for the company is a house owned by Ramaswamy, according to campaign finance reports from July 2025, January 2026, April 2026, and June 2026.
• He has also spent nearly $130,000 leasing a private jet from TVPX Aircraft Solutions in Salt Lake City, Utah, according to campaign finance reports.
• Ramaswamy’s campaign did not respond to questions sent multiple times by the Ohio Capital Journal.
• Ramaswamy has loaned his campaign more than $25 million, according to campaign finance reports. The Ohio Capital Journal reported earlier this year that Ramaswamy’s campaign has put more than a half of million dollars on credit cards.
• “If he is basically fronting money to rent a plane from himself, and then if he does not forgive the loans but reimburses himself, he’ll essentially be using donor funds to pay himself,” said Jordan Libowitz, vice president in communications for the nonprofit watchdog Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.
• “As life becomes even more expensive for Ohio families, Vivek Ramaswamy is spending hundreds of thousands of dollars flying around the world to luxury destinations on his private jet, treating Ohio like a flyover state,” said Addie Bullock, spokeswoman for the Acton campaign. “Ohioans know they can’t trust a billionaire who looks down at us from 30,000 feet to understand the challenges we’re facing or to fight for us.”
• David Cohen, political science professor and director of the Applied Politics Program at University of Akron’s Bliss Institute, said he can’t think of another candidate running for Ohio office that has used a private jet as their main mode of transportation for campaign events. 
• “The fact that Ramaswamy has spent two years flying around on his own private jet is really a bad look,” he said. “I mean, let’s face it: Ohio is not California or Texas. You can drive from border to border in Ohio in a few hours.”
• Federal flight records show Ramaswamy flew his private jet, operated by Talon Air LLC, to at least six campaign events in Ohio, Washington D.C., and Salt Lake City in April and May. The flights within Ohio lasted about 30 minutes. 
• Ramaswamy flew to a campaign event in Lakeside on April 7, taking his private jet from Ohio State University’s airport in Columbus to Port Clinton.
• The next day, Ramaswamy used his private jet to fly from Columbus to Cleveland for a campaign event for the Cleveland Police Patrolmen’s Association.
• Ramaswamy took his private jet from Columbus to Youngstown for an April 15 meeting with the Fraternal Order of Police at the Mahoning County Sheriff’s Office.
• After winning the primary, Ramaswamy took his private jet from Columbus to Cleveland for an event in Brecksville in Cuyahoga County on May 21.
• “He’s flying between Columbus and Akron for crying out loud, and Columbus and Cleveland,” Cohen said. “That’s a two hour drive. Get in the car.” 

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