EXCLUSIVE – Republican Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy is touting support from a growing list of prominent donors who once backed Democrat Tim Ryan, a development his campaign says underscores a major political shift in the Buckeye State.
According to Ramaswamy’s team, nearly $220,000 of the contributions raised in his first months as a candidate came from individuals who previously gave to Ryan, the former congressman from Youngstown who is weighing a bid for governor. Ryan has not officially declared a gubernatorial bid and has said he will make a decision by the end of the year.
Some of the best-known business leaders in Youngstown and Northeast Ohio, long part of Ryan’s donor network, have now switched sides, Fox News Digital has learned.
Ramaswamy's campaign highlights names including Caryn and Sam Covelli, a major business leader in Mahoning Valley who gave the Republican candidate $10,000 after donating more than $59,000 to Ryan over multiple cycles; and Bruce Zoldan, a Youngstown-area business leader who gave Ramaswamy $5,000 after contributing more than $53,000 to Ryan.
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Another business leader, Adam Thomarios, gave $10,000 and is hosting an upcoming fundraiser after contributing nearly $17,000 to Ryan. Anthony Manna contributed $10,000 after donating nearly $25,000 to Ryan between 2005 and 2021, according to Ramaswamy's campaign. Regina Mitchell hosted a fundraiser and gave more than $13,600 to Ramaswamy after a prior $2,700 contribution to Ryan in 2017.
Jeff Edwards, the president and CEO of Edwards Companies and Installed Building Products in the Columbus area, and his wife,Lisa, gave roughly $33,000 to Ramaswamy this cycle after contributing $5,800 to Ryan in 2022.
Jai Chabria, Ramaswamy’s chief strategist, told Fox News Digital that the donor movement is about more than campaign finance. He said Ohioans who once trusted traditional Democratic leadership are embracing Ramaswamy’s message of economic growth and new ideas after decades of disappointment. In his view, voters are leaving behind "a tired model" that did not deliver and are backing someone who represents prosperity and reform.
"It's a very interesting thing where people who have been – who have donated to Democrats, and especially someone like Tim Ryan, and they're flocking to Vivek," Chabria told Fox News Digital. "There's actually a movement where people are actually moving over not just to Republicans, but to Vivek specifically because he's got such a message of growth, of economic growth."
He argued that the momentum is visible not only in financial reports but also in grassroots enthusiasm across the state.
"I think, like many people in Ohio who were promised one thing under these institutions, and by institutions I mean people that have been elected over and over and over again and didn't deliver for people, I think people are coming to see that someone else with fresh ideas is what they need to invest in rather than the tired old model that didn't deliver for the state," Chabria told Fox News Digital.
Ohio Republican Party Chairman Alex Triantafilou echoed that point, calling the donor shifts "impressive" and a sign of Ramaswamy’s strength as a candidate. He said former Ryan backers now see in Ramaswamy a leader committed to workers, reshoring manufacturing, and strengthening Ohio’s energy independence.
Triantafilou also emphasized the GOP’s early endorsement of Ramaswamy in May – more than a year before the primary – as unprecedented. He said it helped solidify a coalition that has powered Republican victories statewide.
Fox News Digital reached out to Ryan for comment.
After spotlighting the defections from Ryan’s ranks, the Ramaswamy campaign is also underscoring its own financial milestones. Ramaswamy reported raising $9.7 million between February and June, which his team calls the largest sum ever collected by an Ohio gubernatorial candidate in the year before a general election. An allied super PAC has added $17 million more.
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Chabria described that first report as only the "tip of the iceberg," predicting that the next filing will show an even bigger number.
Both strategists portrayed the fundraising and donor flips as part of a broader coalition that cuts across traditional political lines. Chabria said Ramaswamy’s background in business appeals to donors because he understands their perspective, while his detailed policy agenda shows he is prepared to govern without a steep learning curve. He pointed to priorities such as energy independence, improving Ohio’s schools and tackling crime in cities as issues resonating with small and large donors alike.
"The crime in our cities is – it's appalling. And it's something that Vivek wants to bring all leaders together to actually try to address because people need to be able to be safe in their own homes. And in too many places, they don't feel that way," Chabria told Fox News Digital. "I mean, Democrats, Republicans, independents, they all need to feel safe in their homes, in their cities. So it's definitely not a partisan issue, but sometimes it becomes one. But Vivek, I think he's gonna try to rise above it and try to bring all people together and really listen to everybody and then try to offer real concrete solutions to this issue."
Triantafilou stressed that Ramaswamy’s agenda has broad working-class appeal, citing his proposals on manufacturing, education and eliminating the state income tax to make Ohio more competitive. He said those ideas speak directly to middle-class Ohioans, including union workers, postal employees and delivery drivers, who could benefit from lower taxes and better economic conditions.
Generational change is also part of the message. At 40, Ramaswamy represents "a new era of leadership," Triantafilou said, contrasting him with Ryan, whom he described as emblematic of Democrats focused on cultural debates rather than the economic concerns of ordinary voters. He argued that Ryan, who lost a Senate race to then-first-time candidate JD Vance in 2022, is "yesterday," while Ramaswamy represents "tomorrow."
Republicans are already previewing the contrast if Ryan enters the governor’s race. Triantafilou criticized him as "inauthentic," accusing him of posturing as a moderate in Ohio while voting with the left in Washington. He said Democrats are out of step with voters on issues ranging from crime to education, and predicted Ryan would be outspent, outworked and ultimately defeated if he jumped in.
"Tim Ryan represents kind of what's wrong with the Democratic Party," Triantafilou told Fox News Digital. "Tim Ryan will put on a hunting jacket and be on TV, and then he goes to D.C. and votes with AOC and with the left of party."
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For now, the Ramaswamy campaign is focused on consolidating early momentum. Events are scheduled into the fall, including an October fundraiser hosted by Thomarios in Akron, as the campaign works to expand its base across Columbus, Cincinnati, Toledo, and beyond. With record fundraising, defections from Ryan’s donor network, and the Ohio GOP’s early endorsement, Republicans say Ramaswamy has positioned himself as the front-runner in 2026.
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