By Megan Henry
The Ohio Capital Journal
COLUMBUS β Republican candidate for governor Vivek Ramaswamy has spent nearly 700,000 dollars leasing a private jet since the start of his campaign, according to campaign finance records.
Ramaswamy has spent, at least, nearly $690,000 leasing aircrafts since the start of his campaign, according to campaign finance reports.
The Republican candidate spent nearly $560,000 leasing a private jet from V Leasing LLC, whose address listed for the company is a house owned by Ramaswamy, according to campaign finance reports from July 2025, January 2026, April 2026, and June 2026.
He has also spent nearly $130,000 leasing a private jet from TVPX Aircraft Solutions in Salt Lake City, Utah, according to campaign finance reports..
Ramaswamyβs campaign did not respond to questions sent multiple times by the Ohio Capital Journal.
βI love long drives,β Ramaswamy said in May when talking to a Youngstown news station.
βYou think about the time we spend in Trumbull County, and you think about the time we even spend just going for a nice jog. You think about Cuyahoga National Park, not far from where we are. Iβm a nature guy.β
Ramaswamy has loaned his campaign more than $25 million, according to campaign finance reports. The Ohio Capital Journal reported earlier this year that Ramaswamyβs campaign has put more than a half of million dollars on credit cards.
βIf he is basically fronting money to rent a plane from himself, and then if he does not forgive the loans but reimburses himself, heβll essentially be using donor funds to pay himself,β said Jordan Libowitz, vice president in communications for the nonprofit watchdog Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.
Ohio Democratic candidate for governor Amy Acton often talks about how she drives a Jeep.
βAs life becomes even more expensive for Ohio families, Vivek Ramaswamy is spending hundreds of thousands of dollars flying around the world to luxury destinations on his private jet, treating Ohio like a flyover state,β said Addie Bullock, spokeswoman for the Acton campaign. βOhioans know they canβt trust a billionaire who looks down at us from 30,000 feet to understand the challenges weβre facing or to fight for us.β
David Cohen, political science professor and director of the Applied Politics Program at University of Akronβs Bliss Institute, said he canβt think of another candidate running for Ohio office that has used a private jet as their main mode of transportation for campaign events.
βThe fact that Ramaswamy has spent two years flying around on his own private jet is really a bad look,β he said. βI mean, letβs face it: Ohio is not California or Texas. You can drive from border to border in Ohio in a few hours.β
Ramaswamy flights
Federal flight records show Ramaswamy flew his private jet, operated by Talon Air LLC, to at least six campaign events in Ohio, Washington D.C., and Salt Lake City in April and May. The flights within Ohio lasted about 30 minutes.
Ramaswamy flew to a campaign event in Lakeside on April 7, taking his private jet from Ohio State Universityβs airport in Columbus to Port Clinton.
The next day, Ramaswamy used his private jet to fly from Columbus to Cleveland for a campaign event for the Cleveland Police Patrolmenβs Association.
Ramaswamy took his private jet from Columbus to Youngstown for an April 15 meetingwith the Fraternal Order of Police at the Mahoning County Sheriffβs Office.
After winning the primary, Ramaswamy took his private jet from Columbus to Clevelandfor an event in Brecksville in Cuyahoga County on May 21.
βHeβs flying between Columbus and Akron for crying out loud, and Columbus and Cleveland,β Cohen said. βThatβs a two hour drive. Get in the car.β
Ramaswamy flew on his private jet from Columbus to Washington, D.C. for a campaign event with Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz on May 13.
Ramaswamy took his private jet from Columbus to Salt Lake City for a data center energy conference on May 22 and flew back to Columbus on his private jet on May 25.
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