Ohio Republican candidate for governor Vivek Ramaswamy speaks at a campaign rally at the University of Cincinnati on Dec. 1, 2025.
Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy spoke at the University of Cincinnati (UC) on Dec. 1, 2025. The former GOP presidential hopeful campaigned on a conservative platform before a crowd of UC students and community members in room 400 of Zimmer Hall.
“You have an obligation and a civic duty to this country to keep believing in this nation and to work hard for it,” Ramaswamy said. “You can blame somebody else, but at the end of the day your own life is in your hands and the number one factor that determines whether you achieve success in life is you.”
The event, organized by Turning Point Action and hosted by the UC student chapter of Turning Point USA, a national conservative advocacy group, and coined “American Victory,” came on the heels of the Nov. 4, 2025, election cycle that saw significant federal and state gains for the Democratic Party. Ramaswamy has since urged Republicans to stop playing “identity politics,” and to prioritize effective policy.
“When one party wins the presidency, you see some level of voters regress in the other direction, this is natural history,” Ramaswamy said. “But I think we as a party can’t get complacent with just attacking the left. We have to offer our own vision of what we actually stand for.”
For Ramaswamy, that vision involves focusing GOP efforts on affordability.
“It’s our turn to be accountable, and to show that if we’re in power and seek to stay in power, how are we actually making the American dream financially viable?” Ramaswamy said. “How are we putting more money in people’s pockets, bringing down electric bills and bringing down housing costs? How are we improving an education system that allows our young people to compete in a competitive economy?”
John Jensen, a senator-at-large for UC’s undergraduate student government, said he was drawn to aspects of Ramaswamy’s economic platform despite the candidate’s lack of experience in office.
“I do think Vivek’s stances on economic development and on creating business opportunities in the energy and manufacturing sectors are important, but these are all just platform points,” Jensen said. “Vivek doesn’t have any prior experience as a politician up until this point, so it’ll be interesting to see how he conveys a message of action when there’s nothing on the resume quite yet.”
In addition to supporters, the rally drew a number of undecided student voters with differing views on Ramaswamy’s positions.
“I thought it was interesting that he ran for president. I’ve never seen a presidential candidate before,” said William Holt, a first-year civil engineering student at UC. “I’m interested in what he has planned for the future of Ohio and in what he has to say about the housing crisis and especially to us in the younger generation.”
“I came here because I’m of voting age,” said Constance Okonkwo, a first-year international affairs student at UC. “I don’t have the same politics, but I just thought it’d be interesting to see. I think it’s important to engage with things you don’t agree with and to always challenge yourself, so that’s why I’m here.”
Prior to politics, Ramaswamy built a career in biotechnology investments after graduating from Harvard University in 2007 and completing law school at Yale in 2013. He ran unsuccessfully in the 2024 Republican Presidential Primary, finishing fourth in the Iowa caucuses. On Nov. 12, 2024, President Donald Trump appointed Ramaswamy to the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) alongside Elon Musk. Ramaswamy withdrew from the position on Jan. 20, 2025.
Ohio Republican candidate for governor Vivek Ramaswamy answers student questions at a campaign rally at the University of Cincinnati on Dec. 1, 2025.
Gita Ramaswamy, the candidate’s mother, expressed pride for her son’s political career. “I don’t think we can take credit, but I think a lot of his policies come from a good family unit,” she said. “We don’t agree with some of his policies, but he likes the disagreement and it’s always been that way.”
Ramaswamy announced his campaign for Ohio governor on Feb. 24, 2025, and has received endorsements from President Trump and the Ohio Republican Party. He is running against Appalachian businesswoman and political newcomer Heather Hill in the Republican primary race. If he prevails against Hill, he will face Dr. Amy Acton (D), a physician and former director of the Ohio Department of Health in the general election as the GOP candidate.
Ohio public universities saw a decrease in international student enrollment in 2025, with UC showing a 15.96% decrease compared to last fall. When asked if Trump administration immigration policies may have influenced the drop-off, Ramaswamy gave a guarded answer.
“We want the very best from anywhere to make our universities as strong as they can be, and that’s been one of America’s competitive advantages,” Ramaswamy said. “The core principle is we are a nation built on meritocracy, and we want the absolute best and brightest making their contributions here. That’s definitely something I’m strongly in favor of.”
Ramaswamy also called for free speech on college campuses to be “protected at all costs,” and invoked the killing of conservative political activist Charlie Kirk on the campus of Utah Valley University on Sept. 10, 2025.
“The best measure of the health of American democracy is the percentage of people who feel free to say where they actually think,” Ramaswamy said. “Whether you’re Nick Fuentes or Jimmy Kimmel, I don’t care what your opinion is but you should be able to express it in this country and on this campus without fear.”
Following audience questions, Ramaswamy concluded his speech with an appeal to student voters.
“I’m truly confident in the young people in this audience, and that your generation is going to be part of the greatest days that the United States of America has ever seen,” Ramaswamy said. “The best days are still ahead, and it’s your generation that is going to create a nation that still has its best days ahead. Do not give up hope for this country.”
Members of the Cincinnati-based community group Coffee Compassion Action (CCA) protested outside of Zimmer Hall ahead of Ramaswamy’s speech.
“We are here tonight to stand against Vivek Ramaswamy’s participation in Donald Trump’s administration, a presidency we believe is leading us towards fascist leadership in the United States,” said Angela Heinz, a CCA member. “Their efforts to control women and minorities stem from the nature of Project 2025. We feel this ideology is a detriment and a danger to freedom in the United States.”
Representatives for Turning Point Action and Turning Point USA who were present at the event declined to provide comment for this story.
Angela Heinz, a member of the Cincinnati-based community group Coffee Compassion Action, poses with a protest sign outside of Zimmer Hall at the University of Cincinnati on Dec. 1, 2025.
