Anti-woke Vivek Ramaswamy confronts racism in his run for Ohio governor 76%
By Hannah Knowles0%
5/8/2026, 9:00:44 AM
Topics: US Politics, Elections
BS Summary: This article contains 28 faulty reasoning types, including Hasty Generalization, Biased Writer Voice, and Framing Effect, with Negativity Bias as the most egregious example at 22.5% saturation with 153 hits. Analysis detected 1,528 faulty-reasoning hits from 681 analyzed words, generating a BS Score of 68.6% and a BS Rank of 76% (4,084 of 16,813 articles). This article is worse (more manipulative) than 75.70% of the article peer group.
CINCINNATI — Vivek Ramaswamy didn’t mention the racist taunts that follow him online or the GOP primary opponent who said he’s not a real American.
But the Ohio gubernatorial candidate who clinched his party’s nomination this week alluded to bigotry on the right in his opening message to a town hall full of young Republicans.
“We’re not going to win this country by being the party of white grievance,” Ramaswamy told the crowd Friday night at the American Legion Anderson Post 318 in Cincinnati.
“We’re going to win this country by being the party of American pride.”
Ramaswamy, the biotech entrepreneur who rose to national prominence with his anti-“woke” rhetoric during a 2024 presidential run, has built a political brand casting racism as an obsession of Democrats.
But as a Republican running for Ohio governor, he’s facing racism on the right.
The 40-year-old son of Indian immigrants has been the target of racist attacks from white nationalists and other extremists who have questioned his heritage and accused him of being a “fake Christian.”
His primary opponent, state Sen.
Rob McColley, suggested Ramaswamy wasn’t a “real American.”
And even after Ramaswamy won Tuesday’s primary, some far-right figures continued to attack him online.
Ramaswamy has largely ignored the attacks, focusing instead on his message of American exceptionalism and opposition to what he calls the “woke mind virus.”
But the bigotry he’s encountered highlights the tensions within the GOP as it grapples with its embrace of far-right elements.
“Vivek is a victim of the very thing he’s been railing against,” said Matt Schlapp, chairman of the American Conservative Union, who has endorsed Ramaswamy.
“The left has been saying for years that the right is racist, but now we see that the real racism is coming from within our own party.”
Ramaswamy’s campaign has tried to turn the attacks to his advantage, portraying him as a unifier who can appeal to a broad swath of voters.
In a statement, campaign spokesman Alexi Wicart said Ramaswamy “has faced racism from the left and the right, but he’s focused on bringing people together around shared American values.”
The candidate himself has been more direct.
At the town hall, he told the crowd that the GOP needs to reject “the poison of identity politics” and embrace “the radical idea that we are all Americans first.”
Ramaswamy’s approach has won him support from some establishment Republicans who see him as a fresh face who can broaden the party’s appeal.
But it has also drawn criticism from the right wing, which views him as too moderate.
“Vivek is trying to have it both ways,” said Nick Fuentes, a white nationalist commentator who has attacked Ramaswamy online.
“He says he’s against wokeness, but then he goes around talking about how we need to be inclusive.
That’s just code for selling out to the left.”
Ramaswamy has dismissed Fuentes and others like him as “fringe elements” who don’t represent the mainstream of the Republican Party.
But the attacks have persisted, with some extremists calling for a write-in campaign against him in the general election.
The controversy has also raised questions about Ramaswamy’s relationship with Trump, who has remained silent on the attacks.
Ramaswamy has positioned himself as a Trump ally, but some in the MAGA movement see him as a threat to their influence.
“Vivek is trying to co-opt the Trump movement for his own purposes,” said Laura Loomer, a far-right activist who has criticized Ramaswamy.
“He’s not one of us.”
Ramaswamy has brushed off the criticism, saying he’s focused on winning the general election against Democratic incumbent Mike DeWine.
Polls show a close race, with Ramaswamy trailing DeWine by single digits.
But the candidate knows he’ll need to broaden his appeal beyond the GOP base.
That’s why he’s emphasizing themes of unity and American pride, even as he faces bigotry from within his own party.
“We’re not going to win by dividing people,” Ramaswamy said at the town hall.
“We’re going to win by reminding them what makes America great.”
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