Republican Ohio gubernatorial nominee Vivek Ramaswamy is facing criticism from within his own party over nearly $690,000 his campaign has spent leasing private aircraft, including for short flights between cities in Ohio. The spending has drawn renewed attention after former Brown County Republican Party chairman Nick Owens told NBC News that Ramaswamy should “park the damn jet,” arguing that voters want to see candidates in their communities rather than traveling by private aircraft.
Campaign-finance records reviewed by the Ohio Capital Journal show that Ramaswamy’s campaign spent nearly $560,000 leasing aircraft from V Leasing LLC through June. The company lists as its address a house owned by Ramaswamy. Another nearly $130,000 was paid to TVPX Aircraft Solutions, an aircraft-leasing company based in Utah, bringing the documented total to nearly $690,000.
Ramaswamy has also loaned more than $25 million to his gubernatorial campaign.
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The arrangement has attracted scrutiny from campaign-finance watchdog Jordan Libowitz of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. Libowitz said that if Ramaswamy ultimately repays his campaign loans with funds raised from donors, money could potentially flow back to him through the aircraft-leasing arrangement.
“If he is basically fronting money to rent a plane from himself, and then if he does not forgive the loans but reimburses himself, he’ll essentially be using donor funds to pay himself,” Libowitz told the Ohio Capital Journal. There is no established campaign-finance violation involving the aircraft expenditures, according to the reporting. Whether Ramaswamy will ultimately be repaid for his campaign loans also remains unknown.
Private aircraft used for short Ohio trips
Federal flight records reviewed by the Ohio Capital Journal show Ramaswamy used the aircraft for several short trips within Ohio. On April 7, he flew from Ohio State University Airport in Columbus to Port Clinton before a campaign event in Lakeside. The following day, he flew from Columbus to Cleveland for another campaign event. On April 15, Ramaswamy flew from Columbus to Youngstown for a meeting with the Fraternal Order of Police at the Mahoning County Sheriff’s Office. After winning the Republican primary, he also flew from Columbus to the Cleveland area for a campaign event in Brecksville on May 21. The Ohio Capital Journal reported that the in-state flights lasted about 30 minutes.
David Cohen, director of the Bliss Institute of Applied Politics at the University of Akron, questioned the use of private aviation for some trips, noting that several Ohio destinations are only a few hours apart by car.
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The aircraft spending had previously drawn attention from campaign-finance observers. In August, the Ohio Capital Journal reported that Ramaswamy had spent nearly $690,000 on aircraft leasing since launching his campaign. At that time, his campaign did not respond to questions about the spending. Ramaswamy has previously said, “I love long drives,” while discussing his campaign travel in an interview with a Youngstown television station.
Criticism comes from Republicans
Owens’ comments mark a more direct criticism of Ramaswamy’s aircraft use from within Republican circles. “People want to see you in their neighborhoods and in their living rooms,” Owens told NBC News. “There’s no reason to be flying around in a jet in Ohio.” Marietta City Council President Susan Vessels, also a Republican, has endorsed Democratic gubernatorial nominee Amy Acton. According to TiffinOhio.net, Vessels cited Ramaswamy’s wealth and his previous support for data centers among her concerns.
The aircraft controversy comes as Ramaswamy campaigns on affordability issues. On September 23, he joined Ohio Senate President Rob McColley and House Speaker Matt Huffman in calling for a temporary 90-day suspension of Ohio’s 38.5-cent-per-gallon gas tax.
Ramaswamy argued that Ohio could use available funds to cover the revenue gap. However, Ohio’s Office of Budget and Management said a roughly $1.6 billion balance in the relevant Ohio Department of Transportation fund was already committed to operations, maintenance and capital projects. House Republican leaders estimated the proposed suspension could cost about $640 million to $700 million.
The campaign’s aircraft expenditures and the state’s transportation funds are separate financial matters. The private-jet spending has nevertheless become part of the broader debate over Ramaswamy’s campaign finances and his use of his personal wealth in the Ohio governor’s race.