Holds no public office. His campaign describes him as a business leader. Campaign affiliation: Republican.
ADVERTISEMENT
Voter guide
Background, stated goals, record, and money
Background comes from official records, and from the campaign's own biography where the bullet says so; goals are summarized from the campaign's own platform and stay attributed; the record lines are official actions with the government source attached; money is shown as filed, with the filing window and the reconciliation in the note under the table, and is not evidence of why any position was taken.
Allow a data center only if nearby homes get free electricity and lower property taxes, and pause new approvals on his first day. Vivek Ramaswamy and Rob McColley for Ohio
McColley was one of two sponsors of Senate Bill 22 in 2021. It lets lawmakers cancel health department orders and end a governor's emergency, which now lasts no more than 90 days unless they extend it. The governor vetoed it; McColley voted to override the veto on March 24, 2021, and it took effect June 23, 2021. A 2022 appeals court ruling upheld the dismissal of a suit against the law, for lack of standing.
Limit: The law gives lawmakers power over future health orders. Whether it prevents a future shutdown is a prediction no record settles. The campaign's line also names Acton; that part is out of scope.
Vivek Ramaswamy
Running mate Rob McColley: red tape
Matches stated direction
What they say
The campaign says McColley's record includes reducing government red tape.
McColley was the lead sponsor of Senate Bill 9, signed March 9, 2022. It orders state agencies to cut the restrictions in their rules by 30% by June 30, 2025. He voted for it in the Senate. The legislature's rule review committee reported in December 2025 that 27 of 28 agencies met that target; the EPA was at 22.70%.
As Senate president he voted for the 2025 state budget, House Bill 96, on June 11 and June 25, 2025. It cut the top state income tax rate from 3.5% to 3.125% for 2025 and set a single 2.75% rate from 2026.
McColley voted for the 2023 state budget, House Bill 33, on June 30, 2023. It cut the top state income tax rate from 3.99% to 3.75% for 2023, then to 3.5% from 2024, when four rates became two.
Limit: This is his running mate's record; Ramaswamy has never held office. A lower rate is not an end to the tax, and the budget did many other things.
Vivek Ramaswamy
Running mate Rob McColley: charges on power bills
Matches stated direction
What they say
The campaign's plan says it would expand natural gas and new energy technology to lower electric bills.
“Expand natural gas and deploy innovative energy technologies to strengthen Ohio’s energy supply and reduce electric bills for every family”
McColley voted against House Bill 6 in the Senate on July 17, 2019. It added a monthly charge to power bills for nuclear plants, and a charge on every utility's customers through 2030 for plants owned by a company that utilities formed before 1960. It also cut the state's renewable energy and energy efficiency requirements for utilities. He cosponsored House Bill 128 and voted for it on March 24, 2021. It repealed parts of House Bill 6, limited its credit payments to solar and provided refunds to customers. He cosponsored House Bill 15 and voted for it on April 30, 2025. It ended the charge for the older plants from August 14, 2025.
Limit: This is his running mate's record; Ramaswamy has never held office. These laws did other things too, and we did not measure what they did to bills. The card does not test the plan's natural gas goal.
Vivek Ramaswamy
Running mate Rob McColley: school choice and reading
Matches stated direction
What they say
The campaign's plan calls for higher academic standards with a focus on 3rd-grade reading, and more choice for parents over where their children learn.
“Raise academic standards with a focus on 3rd-grade literacy ... Empower parents with transparency and meaningful choices over where and how their children learn”
McColley voted for the 2023 state budget, House Bill 33, on June 30, 2023. It opened the income-based EdChoice private school scholarship to students at any family income; before, the limit was 250% of the federal poverty level. It also required schools to use reading materials aligned with the science of reading from the 2024-25 school year, and barred the three-cueing method in pre-K to grade 5, with waivers for some students. The same budget let a parent, after talking with the reading teacher and principal, have a third grader promoted to fourth grade whether or not the child reads at grade level. The law before it had no such parent request.
Limit: This is his running mate's record; Ramaswamy has never held office. The budget did many other things; this card looks only at school choice and reading.