The Governors race is Vivek's to lose.
Plus, Auditor Keith Faber declares his run, and Attorney General Yost fights with a woke grocery store.
Businessman Vivek Ramaswamy has been in the news a tremendous amount throughout the last four years. In 2021, he wrote Woke, Inc., a book that was a prerequisite to his presidential run. In 2023, he declares his run for President on Tucker Carlson’s Fox News show. Editor’s note: I miss that show. As he traveled the country, practically acting like a delegate for Donald Trump, he showed America who he was, and he became popular among Republicans. On November 12, 2024, it was announced that Ramaswamy would lead the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) with Tesla billionaire Elon Musk.
…that was until Christmas Day, when Ramaswamy went on a seemingly unhinged tirade in favor of importing mass foreign labor in the form of H1B visas. This event led to Trump advocating for him to be appointed to Vice President JD Vance’s Senate seat, basically forcing him out of DOGE before the department was officially created.
After Governor Mike DeWine went against Trump’s recommendation and appointed Jon Husted, his own Lieutenant Governor, rumors popped up that Ramaswamy would now run for Governor of Ohio in 2026. DeWine is term-limited.
So far, only one other contender has put his name in the ring, our state Attorney General Dave Yost. Treasurer Robert Sprague has changed his committee designation, but has not formally announced. I have made my statement; I believe Robert Sprague would be the best man for the job. You can read that statement here. That doesn’t take away from the fact that I like some of what Ramaswamy says and some of what Yost does. However, in the name recognition game, it looks like one candidate blows the rest of the field out of the water.
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Republican pollster Tony Fabrizio, who most recently worked for the Trump campaign, released a poll this week with Ramaswamy topping 50%.
I wouldn’t take these early polls as gospel. Only one campaign on that list has even announced, and it’s obviously too early to assume voters have made up their minds. According to the first poll in the 2022 Senate race, former State Treasurer-turned-perennial Senate candidate-turned Chicken Soup for the Soul board member Josh Mandel would be our U.S. Senator (or Vice President, considering he might’ve beaten Vance) today.
At this point, it’s hard to advocate against saying this is Vivek’s race to lose, but it is way too early to be making any definitive claims in this election.
Thank you for reading The Buckeye Beacon, all of the Ohio news you need to know. I’m Josh Lickliter, co-written with Phineas Kelly. Send me an email here if you have any news you want to break or campaigns you want to win.
AG Yost Turns Against Costco’s DEI Policies
Written by Phineas Kelly, Vice President of Excel Political Strategies.
As President Trump’s first term takes shape, it is unclear exactly how his numerous executive orders will be enforced, and if they’ll even function in the way Trump intends. Already facing numerous legal battles, especially around the issue of birthright citizenship and unfounded claims of 14th amendment violations, Trump knows he needs foot soldiers at the state level to stand by his executive actions, something he notably lacked in his first term.
On January 27, the President announced an action entitled “Restoring America’s Fighting Force” which intends to reduce race and gender-based discrimination in the workplace masked as diversity, equity, and inclusion. If it wasn’t obvious by the presence of Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, and countless others at his inauguration, it’s fair to say that Trump has killed corporate wokeism. Soon after the action was announced, executives at Amazon, Ford, McDonald’s, John Deere, and more bent the knee to the current administration, further proving what we all knew to be true– that they signaled their virtue so long as it was profitable. With a decisive referendum from the American people, the corporations looking to keep a sizable customer base changed their tune rather quickly.
Unfortunately for myself and many other Costco members, the supermarket giant decided to double down and defy Trump’s command. Now I have to admit, some part of me respects them for at least challenging the administration; one doesn’t grow into one of the most profitable and recognizable brands in the US by falling in line. However, this is a rare instance where Costco makes a poor business decision.
Enter our protagonist: Ohio’s own Dave Yost, who, along with 18 other attorneys general around the country, signed onto a letter to Costco CEO Ron Vachris demanding that Costco end their discriminatory practices. In a scathing condemnation of these practices, with arguments based in extremely recent legal precedent (see Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard) these AG’s flex both their knowledge of constitutional law and continuity, and Costco’s own policy inconsistencies. The cherry on top being a subtle dig at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which will always win points from me.
For Dave Yost, a hopeful for Mike DeWine’s seat come 2026, aligning himself with Trump and his legal record is imperative for any Republican nomination in what will be the waning years of the Trump era of conservative politics (at least as led by Trump himself). For my money, the candidate who can best convince Ohio voters of a pro-Trump agenda in a post-Trump Ohio has the best shot. A no-brainer play from the Yost camp, signing onto this letter will certainly win him points with Ohio voters, but as the field widens, does he have the endurance to be a competitive candidate?
Keith Faber announces his candidacy
Current State Auditor Keith Faber announced his candidacy for Attorney General this week. He is well qualified, attending the Ohio State University Moritz College of Law, according to his LinkedIn. He’s served as State Representative and State Senator before running for Auditor in 2018. As Auditor, he has headed up investigations that led to 129 convictions, has found over $5 million in what he describes as ‘questionable spending’, and audited over $241 billion.
I don’t see anyone else, at least on the Republican side, hopping into this primary. Faber has been a loyal, respected member of the party for a long time. He has all of the qualifications and experience. I’d have to say that, with this announcement, the Attorney General primary might as well be over.
Congrats, Attorney General-elect Faber. (Not quite, but you know what I mean.)
This Week in Ohio on Capitol Hill: Senate Confirmation Votes
As the battle over President Trump’s cabinet nominees comes before the Senate, many people around the country are watching for Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Susan Collins (R-ME), John Fetterman (D-PA), and former Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to be the deciding votes. These Senators will determine if Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for HHS Secretary, Tulsi Gabbard for Director of National Intelligence, and Kash Patel for FBI Director will be the final pieces of the Presidents cabinet or not.
For once, I’m happy Ohio isn’t being discussed. Ohio’s Republican Senators Jon Husted and Bernie Moreno have voted for Every. Single. Nominee.
On behalf of Ohio, thank you, Ohio’s Senators.
Thanks for reading this edition of The Buckeye Beacon, I’m Josh Lickliter, co-written with my friend and the Vice President of Excel Political Strategies Phineas Kelly. Thank you for reading, and if you learned something new about what’s going on here in Ohio, forward this email to three friends.