DeSantis nukes ‘tech guy’ Vivek after Ohio drubbing: ‘Not in tune’ with blue-collar voters

By Fox News · Fox News

Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis blasted failed Ohio Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy and his GOP handlers, arguing on a podcast that he wasn't "in tune" with the working-class people of the state. Biotech entrepreneur Ramaswamy lost his scandal-plagued race to Democratic candidate Amy Acton by 7.9 percentage points. Despite President Donald Trump’s endorsement and guidance from Vice President JD Vance’s top advisers, Ramaswamy lost amid a "blue wave" that produced major Democratic upsets across the country. The midterm elections were widely viewed as a referendum on Trump's presidency. But DeSantis, who ran for president in 2024 and is term-limited after 2026, shared on the Sage Steele Show that Ramaswamy bore some responsibility for his loss. "I don't know why they would have pushed him to be the candidate there. Oh, my mom's from Youngstown. Ohio is a working class state, very blue collar. You know Vivek, he's like a tech guy," DeSantis said. RAMASWAMY OUTLINES KEY CONTRASTS WITH DEM OPPONENT LESS THAN 100 DAYS OUT FROM KEY GUBERNATORIAL ELECTION Ramaswamy, who previously ran for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024, is the founder of biotech company Roivant Sciences and anti-ESG investment firm Strive Asset Management. He also briefly co-led President Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency with Elon Musk. He was warmly embraced by Trump, who endorsed him the same day Ramaswamy announced his candidacy . Trump had previously encouraged Ramaswamy to consider seeking Vance’s former Senate seat. Ramaswamy and Vance have known each other since their time at Yale Law School. DeSantis criticized Ramaswamy’s support for a merit-based H-1B visa system , arguing that it likely further distanced him from Ohio’s blue-collar voters. Ramaswamy had said the current lottery-based system should be "gutted." 'He wants to bring in foreign workers on visas. That is not the type of person that's going to se…