GREENVILLE — Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, U.S. Sens. Jon Husted, and Bernie Moreno joined a lineup of federal, state, and local Republicans Sunday at the Darke County Fairgrounds, urging more than 400 attendees to turn their enthusiasm into votes in November.
The Darke County Republican Party’s annual hog roast drew a crowd large enough to exhaust the food supply, party Chair Katie DeLand said. Speakers repeatedly emphasized that strong Republican margins in rural counties could help determine statewide outcomes in the Nov. 3 election.
U.S. Rep. Warren Davidson, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, state treasurer candidate Jay Edwards, and Ohio Auditor Keith Faber joined Ramaswamy, Husted, and Moreno in calling on supporters to contact relatives, neighbors, and friends.
Ramaswamy, seeking the governorship against Democrat Amy Acton, presented himself as a businessman motivated by gratitude for the opportunities his family found in Ohio.
“This is a job interview,” Ramaswamy said. “I’m interviewing for the honor and the privilege of leading 12 million people in this state.”
He recalled growing up in southwestern Ohio, where his father worked at General Electric in Evendale and his mother cared for nursing home patients. He said those experiences shaped his desire to preserve opportunities for another generation.
Ramaswamy said he wants young people to stay in Ohio because of the opportunities available. He promised an administration focused on lower costs, economic growth, public safety, and education.
“We will deliver you the biggest property tax relief package this state has ever seen next year,” he said.
He also pledged to reduce electric bills by increasing energy supply and challenging policies involving PJM, the regional electricity grid operator. He promised to pursue Medicaid fraud and oppose sanctuary city policies.
On education, Ramaswamy called for stronger classroom standards and civic instruction, including requiring public high school seniors to pass the civics test used in the citizenship process.
Although he sharply criticized Acton’s role in Ohio’s COVID-19 response, Ramaswamy also said his administration would work with people across party lines on shared priorities.
“I will fight equally for the people who don’t vote for us as those who do,” he said.
He asked attendees to take responsibility for getting 10 additional people to vote and to use their telephone contacts to reach people they had not spoken with recently.
Facing Democrat Sherrod Brown in the Senate race, Husted delivered a similarly personal appeal, asking supporters to consider the values they were willing to defend.
He described meeting a woman who used a wheelchair and told him she had made 10,000 calls for Republican candidates because she could not campaign door to door. He also recalled receiving $10 and a letter from a 97-year-old woman concerned about her grandchildren’s future.
Husted said he keeps that letter on his nightstand as a reminder of his responsibilities.
“It’s fighting for that future over the things that we believe in,” he said.
Husted discussed beginning life in foster care, being adopted, and growing up in rural Williams County. He recalled working third shift in a factory and watching relatives lose their jobs when the plant closed.
He credited Republican leadership with improving Ohio’s business climate and argued that energy production, border enforcement, and government spending would affect families for years.
Drawing on his football career at the University of Dayton, Husted compared the closing campaign stretch to the fourth quarter of a game.
“I will never quit on you,” he said.
Moreno, who defeated Brown in 2024, reminded the crowd that he was attending to support fellow Republicans rather than campaign for his own seat.
“You are the ones that fired Sherrod Brown, not me,” Moreno said, thanking Darke County voters for their support.
Moreno described serving in the Senate as an extraordinary honor. He said he was frustrated with Washington, criticized Democrats over government shutdowns, and emphasized his support for immigration enforcement.
He also criticized pandemic restrictions, speaking about his father-in-law’s hospice care and the importance of families being able to comfort loved ones.
Moreno praised Husted as a friend, father, husband, and Senate partner, urging Republicans to remain engaged through Election Day.
“It will be Republicans that stay home that elect Sherrod Brown,” he said.
Davidson urged the audience to stay focused on the immediate political challenges ahead, drawing on historical examples to encourage perseverance.
“We have to hold the line right now so that we can carry the day,” he said.
He discussed constitutional protections involving speech, religion, justice, voting, and firearms. Davidson also praised changes involving federal firearms taxes and described Ramaswamy as a potentially transformative conservative governor.
Davidson asked attendees to support both Ramaswamy and Husted, saying success in those races could help Republican candidates further down the ballot.
Faber, running for attorney general, emphasized support for law enforcement and public safety, and his record investigating misuse of public money as state auditor.
He said his office’s work with investigators and local prosecutors had helped secure convictions of more than 172 public officials and politicians. He also cited endorsements from law enforcement organizations, sheriffs and prosecutors.
“This run for attorney general is really about whether we’re going to do what’s necessary to defend the Constitution, to defend Ohioans, and keep your community safe,” Faber said.
Faber urged supporters to help others vote, including offering transportation to the polls. Winning Darke County, he said, was only part of the task; Republicans needed substantial margins to offset Democratic strength elsewhere.
LaRose, running for state auditor, outlined three priorities: identifying public corruption, improving government efficiency and serving on the Ohio Redistricting Commission.
He linked wasteful spending to the financial pressures households face and said the auditor should help government operate within its means.
“This is not just numbers on a page,” LaRose said. “It is a cost of living concern for real Ohio families.”
LaRose also defended his record as an election administrator, promoted voter identification requirements, and encouraged supporters to provide rides and reminders to people who might otherwise skip voting.
Edwards, the Republican nominee for state treasurer, emphasized his southeastern Ohio roots and the similarities between Appalachian communities and rural Darke County.
He said the treasurer’s responsibility begins with recognizing that public funds belong to taxpayers.
Edwards proposed directing more state deposits toward Ohio community banks and improving the Ohio Checkbook program so residents can more easily follow state spending.
“It’s time we keep Ohio’s money in Ohio,” Edwards said.
Other candidates introduced to speak were state Rep. Phil Plummer, running for the Ohio Senate; David Coons, running for Darke County commissioner; and Brian Holsapple, running for Darke County auditor.
Plummer, a former Montgomery County sheriff, emphasized criminal justice and the protection of first responders. Coons discussed his experience in agriculture, business, infrastructure, and economic development, saying growth should respect the county’s character. Holsapple described his weights-and-measures responsibilities and training in the auditor’s office.
DeLand also recognized 2nd District Court of Appeals Judge Chris Epley, whom she identified as an unopposed candidate who would not speak. State Sen. Steve Huffman, appellate Judges Mary Kate Huffman and Bob Hanseman, and Commissioner Marshall Combs were acknowledged.
Faber additionally promoted secretary of state candidate Robert Sprague and Ohio Supreme Court candidates, Dan Hawkins and Colleen O’Donnell.
DeLand credited civic engagement and a longstanding local tradition with the turnout. She thanked organizers and Sheriff Mark Whittaker’s office for coordinating security.
“On a beautiful October Sunday, when you could be doing a lot of other things, over 400 people came out to hear from their candidates,” DeLand said.
