As MAGA turns toward ‘heritage Americans,’ Ramaswamy hopes it doesn’t leave him out

Vivek Ramaswamy stands before a small crowd at the confluence of the Ohio and Muskingum rivers and tells it that he has lived the American Dream.Born and raised in Cincinnati to Indian immigrant parents, Mr. Ramaswamy earned degrees from Harvard and Yale. He founded a successful biotech company, ran for president in 2024, and is today worth an estimated $2 billion to $3 billion.America offered “opportunities that would not have been available to a kid like me in any other country,” says Mr. Ramaswamy, who’s now locked in a close contest for Ohio governor. Republicans, he argues, are the defenders of that dream for anyone who’s willing to work hard and follow the rules. That message was once a core tenet within the GOP. But it’s landing at a moment when many Republicans are debating what it means to be an American and who should benefit from the nation’s bounty.Vice President JD Vance has argued for the defense of Judeo-Christian values and the rights of “heritage Americans.” At the party’s midterm convention in Dallas this month, he spoke pointedly about the “birthright” of every “American child” to inherit the nation’s “blessings.” Days later, a Texas GOP candidate sparked a social media firestorm when he posted a picture of a group of students of South Asian descent celebrating a University of Texas football victory and said it showed “how many Americans have been displaced by foreigners.” Jenna Schoenefeld/StaffVivek Ramaswamy (at center) greets voters after the town hall in Marietta, Ohio, Sept. 11, 2026. Mr. Ramaswamy argues that American identity is defined by shared ideals, not shared ancestry. Last year, he forcefully urged his party to reject “the new identity politics on the right,” the kind promulgated by fringe figures with sizable followings who valorize Nazis and lob racial slurs.But he is also trying to win over more mainstream MAGA voters who may be embracing the party’s nationalist turn – and who, as a result, may not automatically embrace him. “He is a Trump Republican through-and-through – a populist who understands that he needs to widen the tent and welcome new people in, and communicate to people’s angers as much as their hopes,” says Matt Dole, an Ohio Republican consultant who’s also chair of the Licking County Republican Party. “He may not agree with Trump on everything, but he is attempting to mirror that coalition, because that’s the winning path in Ohio.”Like all Republicans this cycle, Mr. Ramaswamy is facing strong political headwinds. A majority of voters view President Donald Trump unfavorably and say the country is on the wrong track. Many Americans cite affordability as a top concern, and polls show Democrats hold an edge on the issues of inflation and prices. In Ohio, where over a third of registered voters are not affiliated with either political party, candidates need to both turn out their base and win over independents.In his race against Democratic nominee Amy Acton, who was the state’s health director during the COVID-19 pandemic, Mr. Ramaswamy has been leaning into his entrepreneurial background. Jenna Schoenefeld/StaffA supporter carries "Vivek" signs after attending the candidate's event in Marietta, Ohio, Sept. 11, 2026. “[Ohioans] are interested in something new in politics,” he says in an interview outside a gun show in New Lexington. “I’m a businessman. President Trump brought that in 2016 to the national stage. I’m bringing that to Ohio.”An uneasy contrast with JD VanceOn the campaign trail, Mr. Ramaswamy mainly sticks to local topics, like promising to deliver the largest property tax cut in state history and placing a moratorium on new data centers that don’t meet certain standards. But questions of where the GOP is headed – and how he fits into that future – linger over his campaign.Mr. Vance and Mr. Ramaswamy, who both say they are friends, strike an uneasy contrast. They attended high school 30 minutes apart, though didn’t meet until they were law school classmates at Yale. Mr. Vance’s wife, Usha, is Indian American and Hindu like Mr. Ramaswamy. Yet Mr. Vance is one of the most prominent Republican voices making the case that too much diversity has weakened American society, by making it less cohesive.As a teenager, Mr. Ramaswamy started an India Association at his Catholic high school and read news for a local Indian radio station. An award he won as a senior recognized his volunteering efforts to increase cultural awareness in Cincinnati. Seen by some as a brash know-it-all during his 2024 campaign, Mr. Ramaswamy, who was president of the Harvard debating union, has sought to cultivate a more likable persona this time around. He emphasizes his role as a father of three young children, and is often joined onstage by his wife, Apoorva, a surgeon. Saul Loeb/AP/FileVice President JD Vance and second lady Usha Vance walk off Air Force Two upon arrival at Wilkes-Barre Scranton International Airport in Avoca, Pennsylvania, July 16, 2025, as Mr. Vance travels to speak about the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act." Some of those attempts have backfired. In a recent online video, Mr. Ramaswamy laid out 10 things he would accomplish for Ohio, while hitting balls in a batting cage. He was widely ridiculed by online commentators for his swing, which made clear he had never really played baseball; his campaign soon took the video down.Dr. Acton’s campaign frames her opponent as out of touch. In one ad she highlights a trip to Wimbledon that Mr. Ramaswamy, who was a nationally ranked tennis player in high school, made last year. In others, Dr. Acton mispronounces his name.Some of Mr. Ramaswamy’s most ardent supporters admit his name is an “obstacle” here in southeastern Ohio.“The average voter is looking at two stigmas right now. ... It’s his name, and he’s a billionaire,” says Brad Webb, who owns an industrial sales business. But those things are surmountable, he says, once voters learn that Mr. Ramaswamy is “in line with JD Vance and Donald Trump.” Both Mr. Trump and Mr. Vance have endorsed Mr. Ramaswamy.State Rep. Ty Moore agrees. “He needs guys like us who are actually from Appalachia and the country to say, ‘This is our guy,’” he says. Jenna Schoenefeld/StaffBrad Webb (left) and state Rep. Michael Tyler Moore (right) attended Vivek Ramaswamy’s town hall in Marietta, Ohio, Sept. 11, 2026. “He needs guys like us who are actually from Appalachia and the country to say, ‘This is our guy,’” says Representative Moore. Representative Moore and Mr. Webb both see Mr. Ramaswamy as a genuine conservative, and someone who can – with the help of people like them – reach the same kinds of nontraditional Republican voters that Mr. Trump first brought into the MAGA fold.From Trump surrogate to being heckled on stageBut Mr. Ramaswamy has had a bumpy history with the MAGA movement. After coming in fourth in the Iowa caucuses in 2024, he quickly threw his support behind Mr. Trump, became a top Trump surrogate, and initially helped lead the Department of Government Efficiency. He soon sparked a backlash, however, when he, along with Elon Musk, advocated for tech companies hiring engineers from outside the United States.American culture has too often “venerated mediocrity over excellence,” Mr. Ramaswamy wrote at the time, drawing criticism from a range of Republicans from former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley to right-wing activist Laura Loomer.More recently, Mr. Ramaswamy has been the target of blood-and-soil rhetoric from the fringes of his own party. His opponent during the Ohio primary, Casey Putsch, called him “questionably American” and posted a video critics lambasted as openly racist. Mr. Putsch won 18% of the vote in the primary election. Jenna Schoenefeld/StaffVivek Ramaswamy (bottom right) and his wife, Apoorva Ramaswamy (bottom left), speak at the town hall in Marietta, Ohio, Sept. 11, 2026. After Mr. Ramaswamy called out right-wing podcaster Nick Fuentes at a Turning Point USA event last year, Mr. Fuentes told his listeners “we have to deny Vivek Ramaswamy the governorship,” and used a slur to describe him.Dr. Acton, who leads Mr. Ramaswamy in some recent polls, has centered her campaign around tackling corruption and lowering the cost of living and healthcare. She has refused debate invitations from Mr. Ramaswamy. Deepen your worldviewwith Monitor Highlights.Politics with respectGet political stories with respectful analysis.There‘s a world of new ideas in everyBooks newsletter.There‘s more to life, enrich yours withCulture & Learning weekly.Follow humanity‘s discoveries withScience & Nature stories in your inbox.Gain a spiritual perspectivefrom the stories in your inbox.Want to understand the deeper impact of critical events? Learn the Monitor‘s insight.Already a subscriber? Log in to hide ads. That’s something Mr. Ramaswamy hopes will move undecided voters, he says outside the gun show. But even then, he faces the challenge of uniting an increasingly unruly base. Jenna Schoenefeld/StaffThe American flag is folded up after Vivek Ramaswamy’s campaign event in Marietta, Ohio, Sept. 11, 2026. This summer, Mr. Ramaswamy was heckled during a speech to Young Americans for Liberty in Cincinnati. “I want to deport 50 million foreigners,” yelled one attendee while Mr. Ramaswamy argued that government policies are to blame for high costs.While the crowd yelled over him, Mr. Ramaswamy tried again. “In order to make America great again, you have to understand what made America great the first time,” he said. When Mr. Ramaswamy ended his speech, hecklers booed him off the stage. ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER? LoginReal news can be honest, hopeful, credible, constructive.The Christian Science Monitor was founded in 1908 to lift the standard of journalism and uplift humanity. 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