Ramaswamy may buy his way into office, but stain of dishonesty won't go away: Brent Larkin

Vivek Ramaswamy and his slimy friends may succeed in buying the governor's office. But there's no price tag on a reputation. And Ramaswamy's is already ruined. So grotesquely dishonest is Republican Ramaswamy's campaign for governor against Democrat Amy Acton that any fair-minded person will forever remember it as a campaign devoid of even a shred of decency. It's worth worrying that his governorship would be a carbon copy. Ramaswamy's advertising campaign against Acton has been the most costly in Ohio history. Spending on this litany of lies by Ramaswamy and friendly political action committees will almost certainly surpass $100 million. And if Ramaswamy determines $150 million will be needed to fool Ohio's low information voters, then that's how much he'll spend. Brent Larkin was The Plain Dealer's editorial director from 1991 until his retirement in 2009. The Plain Dealer Acton will raise and spend more money than any Democratic candidate for governor in Ohio history but will be outspent by at least a 2 to 1 margin, perhaps even 3 to 1. Total spending in the 2022 election between Gov. Mike DeWine and Democrat Nan Whaley was $25.6 million. One man, billionaire Jeff Yass from Pennsylvania, has already contributed $20 million to the Ramaswamy campaign effort and will reportedly donate at least $10 million more. Elon Musk has also chipped in $5 million. Don't think for a moment these people give a hoot about lowering your gasoline prices and grocery bills. Contrast the billionaire Ramaswamy -- who just two years ago moved his company from Columbus to Dallas and flies around Ohio in a private jet -- with Acton. She was born dirt poor in Youngstown, survived a childhood of neglect and abuse and put herself through medical school. Nevertheless, Ramaswamy repeatedly lies about her medical training. Those lies haven't bothered the Ohio State Medical Association, which has endorsed Ramaswamy's candidacy. Their candidate shows not an iota of respect for the integrity of the medical education process, but he's their guy. What a pathetic organization. So far, the obscene amount of money spent to crush Acton's candidacy has failed. Yes, Ramaswamy has told enough lies that the percentage of voters with a negative view of Acton has risen, worrisomely so. His chances of winning are probably higher today than they were a month ago. Ramaswamy now wants to debate Acton, a tactic frontrunners never employ. Voters always tell pollsters debates are important, but a candidate debate is at the bottom of any list of their decision-making process. Issues related to the economy, education, jobs, and children matter a billion times more Acton should agree to debate only if the format requires a panel of moderators with a keen understanding of state government, who are allowed to fact check candidate falsehoods in real time. Any format that allows a candidate to tell lies for 90 minutes would be a meaningless waste of voters' time. Remember, this is not Ramaswamy's job of choice. He is running for governor only because Gov. Mike DeWine refused to appoint him to the Senate after J.D. Vance was elevated to the vice presidency. Apparently, DeWine suspected then about Ramaswamy what we now know with certainty: Honesty is not his strong suit. They lie about Ramaswamy's past support for data centers. They lie about what the candidates did and said during COVID. They depict Acton as a drunk with a drug problem. And they repeatedly lie about her history as a medical student. Whenever anyone associated with the Ramaswamy campaign is called out for their lies, they double down on them. Most recently, the campaign invested millions on a television spot featuring a controversial Republican activist from southwest Ohio who suggests Acton was responsible for the July of 2000 death of her 88-year-old mother during COVID. The woman died in a hospice facility in Kentucky . And she died six weeks after Acton left her position as DeWine director of health. The facts demolish the campaign's timeline. On August 30, Ramaswamy posted a video promising to cut electricity bills for Ohioans in half 'by this time next year,' adding, 'Hold my feet to that fire.' Fact: There is a better chance of you spending $1 a week and winning the Mega Millions lottery jackpot for five straight weeks. If Ramaswamy doesn't know he was being untruthful, he's too ignorant to be governor. This is the 14th campaign for Ohio governor I've watched closely. None of them have featured the prolonged defamatory conduct we've seen from a nominee of the party that has won eight of the last nine elections for governor. All this makes it no surprise Browns owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam are among Ramaswamy's most prominent supporters. The couple has a record of supporting far right candidates with enormous character flaws. In 2024, they poured more than $100,000 into defeating a ballot issue that would have brought a measure of fairness to the process of drawing legislative districts in Ohio. The Haslams preference was the existing process that undermines democracy and punishes minority voters. On Sept. 1, the same people whose consistently awful judgment brought widely accused sexual predator Deshaun Watson to the Browns, wrecking the franchise for five or six years, hosted a lavish fund raiser for Ramaswamy at their Bratenahl home. Ticket prices ranged from $1,000 to $100,000. The more than 50 names on the event invitation list included some of Greater Cleveland's prominent citizens, who presumably think it's just fine for a would-be governor to overwhelm Ohio voters with fabrications. Speaking of money, the Haslams' football team has billed Cleveland more than $1 million in 'emergency' repairs to the lakefront stadium they are abandoning for a new one in Brook Park. Although millions more than that are due the Cavaliers and Guardians for repairs made several years ago, the administration of Mayor Justin Bibb has asked council to approve the Browns payment. Worth noting is neither the Guardians nor Cavaliers plan to abandon Cleveland. And Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert has committed spending at least $2 billion on the Bedrock project in the same downtown the Browns are fleeing. Talk about misplaced priorities. Cleveland City Council regularly rolls over when the mayor demands it. This time members should remember who they work for and dare the Haslams to sue them. There is something extraordinarily arrogant and tone-deaf at work here. Yes, lease provisions at all three downtown sports facilities require reimbursement for repairs. But at some point, judgment must matter. If the Haslams believe they can keep squeezing the poor people of Cleveland for seven-figure reimbursements on their way out the door, let them make that argument in court - and let the entire region see exactly how far they're willing to go to collect it. A far more appropriate response would have been for the Browns to fix the problem themselves and tell the city, 'We'll take care of it. Thank you, Browns fans. Thank you, Cleveland. Being part of this community means more to us than extracting every last dollar. You support means a great deal to us.' Support from the Haslams means a great deal to Ramaswamy. If he wins, don't be surprised if it also ends up meaning a great deal to the Haslams. Brent Larkin was The Plain Dealer's editorial director from 1991 until his retirement in 2009. To reach Brent Larkin: blarkin@cleveland.com Have something to say about this topic? * Send a letter to the editor, which will be considered for print publication. * Email general questions, comments or corrections on this opinion column to Elizabeth Sullivan, director of opinion, at esullivan@cleveland.com.