Vivek Ramaswamy’s luxury jet travel continues to fuel criticism in Ohio governor’s race

A new report shows Ohio Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy is using a new private jet to travel to public and private appearances across the country.

The new report from The Rooster comes after Ramaswamy had appeared to slow down his luxurious travel. The Rooster says the Republican’s Cessna Citation X plane has been grounded at the Quad City Airport in Moline, Ill. since May 4. However, an anonymous source told The Rooster that Ramaswamy has been using a new Bombardier Global 5500 plane out of the Ohio State University airport.

Last Friday, The Rooster published flight records for Ramaswamy’s new private jet, which he has used 54 times so far this year. Ramaswamy’s post-primary election campaign expenditures show that the candidate has racked up an estimated $200,000 in private jet-related costs in 2026.

In February, Heartland Signal reported on Ramaswamy’s campaign expenditures, which showed he spent $780,000 on private jet travel in 2025. The campaign told Heartland Signal that Ramaswamy covered the costs with his own money. Earlier this year, Ramaswamy donated $25 million of his own money to his campaign.

Democrats call Ramaswamy ‘out of touch’

Democratic nominee Amy Acton and her running mate David Pepper have used Ramaswamy’s wealth and private travel to label him “out of touch” with Ohio voters. Last week, Pepper said the billionaire’s lifestyle reflects policies that will not address the high cost of living in the state.

“He’s literally flying around the state and country in this fancy corporate jet,” Pepper told Fox 5 Zanesville last week. “And I think what happens when you do that is people feel like you’re not really on the ground. You don’t understand their issues.”

While Vivek Ramaswamy flies around the country in his jet, Ohioans in communities like Zanesville have felt the pain of rising costs for far too long. @amyactonoh will turn things around on day one. pic.twitter.com/YS1FSdnmkI

— David Pepper (@DavidPepper) June 18, 2026

Ramaswamy’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request to comment for this story.

Ramaswamy and Acton are vying for the governor’s mansion in an open race this year. Incumbent Gov. Mike DeWine (R) cannot seek a third term. Acton has raised $11.5 million compared to Ramaswamy’s $9.6 million since January 1. However, Ramaswamy continues to hold a cash-on-hand advantage thanks in part to his personal loans. Ramaswamy reported $26.7 million on hand as of June 12, while Acton had $8.1 million.

A recent poll released by Fox News on June 1 showed Acton ahead of Ramaswamy by one point.

Records show Ohio governor candidate Vivek Ramaswamy dropped $780K on private jet flights last year