New York Times: Dr. Acton Wins Over Ohioans Across The Aisle, Ramaswamy Has His Head in the Clouds

New York Times: Dr. Acton Wins Over Ohioans Across The Aisle, Ramaswamy Has His Head in the Clouds

Lifelong Republican Voting for Dr. Acton: “We need candidates that are like us, that feel the same pains we do.”

A New York Times dispatch from Ohio highlights how Dr. Amy Acton’s personal story and focus on affordability are resonating with Ohioans — including those who have historically voted Republican.

While Dr. Acton is on the ground meeting voters in every corner of the state, driving in her “2018 Jeep Wrangler that was made in Toledo,” Ramaswamy treats Ohio like a flyover state as he has spent “at least $689,000 leasing private jets since declaring his candidacy.”

Read more about how Dr. Acton is earning the trust of Ohioans while Ramaswamy flounders.

New York Times: His Jet vs. Her Jeep: How Wealth Is Playing in the Midterms

• Vivek Ramaswamy, a billionaire pharmaceutical entrepreneur vying to become Ohio’s next Republican governor, has been an enticing target for Democrats. They have derided him daily as “out of touch” with regular Ohioans. They point to his international vacations, his $2 million mansion and most of all, the private jet he has used to turn two-hour drives into 23-minute flights.

• The midterms are coming in a year when inflation has left many Americans struggling to keep up with the rising prices of groceries and gas, but a rising stock market and artificial intelligence industry have made the rich far richer. The world’s first trillionaire, Elon Musk, surpassed that milestone as ordinary workers claimed the smallest percentage of the nation’s income since 1947.

• The Ohio race, which has surprised many with its close margins, has this question at its heart: At a time when everything feels hard to pay for, do voters want a governor who says his success proves he can bring prosperity to others, or one who says she can solve struggles because she’s been through them herself?

• Throughout the race, the contrast between the two candidates has been embodied by their modes of transportation. While Mr. Ramaswamy has spent at least $689,000 leasing private jets since declaring his candidacy, according to campaign finance reports, Dr. Acton has emphasized that she travels the state in a 2018 Jeep Wrangler that was made in Toledo.

• The Jeep, with its dashboard rubber ducks and a license plate that says “SOOOHIO,” is a frequent star of Dr. Acton’s social media posts and advertisements. In her telling, it allows her to be on the ground with voters, while Mr. Ramaswamy is treating Ohio “like a flyover state.”

• “There is a feeling like, why are the rich running our government?” said Ted Berry, the City Council president in Grove City, Ohio, a lifelong Republican who is supporting Dr. Acton. “We need candidates that are like us, that feel the same pains we do.”

• Mr. Berry, who voted for Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican who is term limited, but not President Trump, said Dr. Acton’s messaging is making inroads with moderates like him

• …Mr. Ramaswamy’s campaign declined to let a New York Times reporter see the jet or to answer questions about his transportation.

• “Hi, I’m Amy, and I’m running for governor,” Dr. Acton said as she walked up to voters in the pork tent.

• “I’ve seen you on TV,” said Joe Falgner, a hay, corn and soybean farmer who shook her hand.

• Mr. Falgner didn’t like to tell his neighbors in Blanchester, Ohio, that he was a Democrat. But lately, when his friends complained about the cost of groceries and gasoline, Mr. Falgner had been saying, “Well, everybody in Columbus is a Republican, and they have been for 15 or 20 years. Who are you to blame?”

• But when Mr. Ramaswamy began taking questions, a reporter from NBC returned to the topic of the jet, saying, “I’ve talked to a number of Republicans who say — including Republican leaders in this state — who say, ‘Just park the jet, man.’ Why are you still flying around on a jet in Ohio?’”

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