The Tuscarawas County Republican Party held their annual Lincoln Day gathering over the weekend, hosting Ohio governor candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.
Party Chairman Greg Kimble opened the event before United State Senator Bernie Moreno introduced the main speaker, Ramaswamy, who said he wants to lead Ohio to greatness.
“Freedom is your heritage and excellence is your destiny. This is not a small vision for our state. It’s an ambitious vision. Humble but ambitious because that’s who we really are as Ohioans. We’re not victims, we’re victors. We don’t whine we win. That’s how we’re going to take our state back.”
Ramaswamy said, if he were to win the governor’s race, he would build upon Ohio’s legacy.
“Respect their accomplishments but go even further. There are going to be some changes we require of the state and we’re going to make them. We’re going to become, under my watch, a zero-income tax state. It’s your money not the governors. It’s the property taxes as well that have gotten way too high in our state. It’s burdening so many Ohioans.”
One main focus was improving education.
“Crisis of educational achievement across our entire country. 75% of 8th graders are not proficient in math in the United State. 80% are not proficient in reading. From the sports fields to the classroom’s excellence in every domain where every kid is able to achieve the maximum if his or her own potential. To give our kids a world class education in math, reading, writing, critical thinking, physical education. We don’t need to reinvent the wheel. We’re going to take our school choice programs to the next level, including homeschooling as a viable option. But we’re also going to be the state in making sure that our public schools a equipped to compete with the best of the alternatives.”
He said that Ohio was a pioneer in many areas not long ago and the state can do so again.
“The same fertile farmland we have today we had back then, the same natural resource underneath our ground. We were at the leading edge of that first industrial revolution. Even in the 1950’s. Six of the top 15 of the wealthiest cities in America we’re right here in our home state of Ohio. Toldeo was the glass capital of the world, Akron was the Rubber capital, Youngstown and Cleveland led the way in steel production.”
The election for governor will be in 2026, with Mike DeWine unable to run again due to term limits.
Others who have announced their bid is Republican Dave Yost, who is the current Ohio Attorney General, and Amy Acton, a Democrat and former Ohio Department of Health director.
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