Ray Marcano is a frequent Columbus Dispatch contributor
The 2026 Ohio gubernatorial race is off to, at best, an inspiring start.
The campaigns of the presumptive frontrunners, Democrat Amy Acton and Republican Vivek Ramaswamy, are already in the midterms, spewing nonsense to prop up their political bases without doing anything to advance public understanding of important issues.
In the red corner (that’s boxing parlance, a proposal for any hard-line political fight) stands the Acton campaign, which tore up Ramaswamy’s proposal to study integration of Ohio’s public colleges and universities.
The plan would devastate local communities, Acton’s campaign said. And, for a little extra oomph, added, “As Ramaswamy tells Ohioans they’re lazy and the rising costs are in our imaginations, he can tell us which colleges and universities he wants to close.”
But Republican Ramaswamy, in the blue corner, had a chance to strike back when Actin proposed an affordable plan that would put more money in Ohioans’ pockets through various tax breaks, medical debt forgiveness and more.
Amy Acton: Ramaswamy sees Ohio from the window of a private jet. He doesn’t get what you need.
The Ramaswamy campaign scoffed, saying, “Straight out of (Mayor Zohran) Mamdani’s NYC playbook, liberal Amy Acton’s agenda is billions in new spending, higher taxes, and big government — with working families left holding the bag.”
Lame snorts at me
Vivek Ramaswamy is the Republican candidate for Governor of Ohio.
It’s only April, the election is six months away, and I’m already bored. You should too.
This is a historic election in Ohio, the first time a white male has not topped a major party ticket.
It should be a historic opportunity for these two candidates to focus on the issues and reshape the debate by seriously, deeply, debating their proposals.
Instead, we get Ramaswamy telling Ohioans they’re lazy and Acton a liberal who follows a socialist agenda.
Ramaswamy: Ohio must reform its ‘broken’ public universities
Boring. unnecessary just stupid
It is not only discouraging, but insulting to the electorate. Their campaigns think they’ll fall for cheap political shots (few, sadly) and skate into office on lame rhetoric that means as much as dirt on the bottom of a shoe.
March 17, 2024; Bexley, Ohio, USA; Dr. Amy Acton appears in an upcoming PBS documentary on COVID and public health. He was photographed at Jeffery Mansion in Bexley.
Here’s an idea. How do campaigns take each other seriously?
I would like to hear the details of each proposal.
Errors and points
Ramaswamy has made the unsafe mistake of singling out Kent State, Akron and financially troubled Central State University for possible consolidation, which would make it harder to get their support.
But on the surface, he has a point. Over time, it will be difficult, if not impossible, to support a state system with expected declines in enrollment as costs increase.
But can the public trust that any integration process will be free from bias and political influence? Do these centers of excellence offer academic courses that do not meet the employment needs of the state and its businesses?
Will these new centers be nimble enough to adjust to the changing economic environment? And the Acton campaign raised a good point. What will integration mean for communities?
Acton’s plan also raises questions, and they deserve to be heard.
His proposed tax breaks could cost low- and moderate-income state residents $231 million, according to a legislative analysis.
What will the state deduct for that? She wants to eliminate medical debt, a big goal, but how much debt do Ohioans have and will she “take a hard look at financing options?” How do you “crack down” on surprise medical bills and hidden sports fees?
If you want to be historic in a historic year, campaigns should be serious about arguing their differences and stop bullshitting.
Otherwise, this campaign will quickly go from historic to historic, and that won’t help anyone, let alone the voters, who will be bored by it all.
Ray Marcano, longtime journalist, past national president of the Society of Professional Journalists, two-time Pulitzer juror and Fulbright Fellow.w. He is a frequent Columbus Dispatch contributor.
This article originally appeared in the Columbus Dispatch: Why Amy Acton and Vivek Ramaswamy are putting Ohioans to sleep | opinion
