DeSantis Says Ramaswamy Failed to Connect With Ohio Voters

Speaking on the Sage Steele Show, the Florida governor said Republicans should have selected someone more attuned to the concerns of ordinary Ohio voters. “Ohio is a working class state, very blue collar. You know Vivek, he’s like a tech guy,” DeSantis said, adding that his mother was from Youngstown.

Ramaswamy founded biotech company Roivant Sciences and investment firm Strive Asset Management. He also briefly worked with Elon Musk to lead President Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). His campaign had Trump’s endorsement and support from advisers close to Vice President JD Vance.

DeSantis also faulted Ramaswamy’s position on H-1B visas, which allow US companies to hire skilled foreign workers. Ramaswamy has advocated replacing the lottery-based system with a merit-based one and said the current system should be “gutted.” DeSantis said support for bringing in foreign workers would not appeal to Ohio voters. Roivant Sciences had 29 H-1B applications approved between 2018 and 2023.

DeSantis said Ramaswamy had made campaign mistakes but also needed to meet voters where they were. He argued Republicans might have performed better with a candidate more representative of the state’s blue-collar workers.

The Ohio result came amid Democratic gains across the country and was seen as a setback for Trump. DeSantis also criticized congressional Republicans, saying they had failed to turn Trump’s executive orders into laws and had left the party on the “defensive.” He said the election results could constrain Republican governing after Trump’s term, whether Democrats secured unified control or a Republican president faced limits.