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YOUNGSTOWN - David Pepper, the Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor, said the platform of Vivek Ramaswamy, the Republican gubernatorial nominee, is a disaster for working class Ohioans and continues the GOP's efforts to benefit the rich.
During a Tuesday news conference in Youngstown's Wick Park, Pepper said: "The Statehouse is always giving things away at the top and directly and indirectly the costs get shifted down to everyday Ohioans here in Youngstown and all across the state. If you look at Vivek Ramaswamy's plan, it's the same trick. Getting rid of income taxes is a massive payday for Vivek Ramaswamy and his donors. The pressure gets forced down and everyday people will pay the difference through a higher sales tax."
Ramaswamy and Amy Acton, the Democratic nominee for governor, are in a hotly contested race.
During Tuesday's event, Pepper said of Ramaswamy: "Again, you look at all his proposals. Get rid of the property tax. Get rid of the income tax. Get rid of the capital gains tax. Someone's going to pay the price for that and the estimates the state's put out say you'll see a massive spike in the sales tax. It said that every single thing that you buy in the state of Ohio is about to get more expensive if they have their way."
However, Ramaswamy does not support eliminating property taxes. Ramaswamy called for abolishing property taxes when he announced his candidacy in February 2025, but then changed it to reduce them.
Ramaswamy's proposal calls for an immediate roll back of property tax levels to where they were before the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. That would be the largest property tax rollback in the state's history, according to his campaign.
There is a grassroots effort to put an issue in front of voters to eliminate property taxes with the state Office of Budget and Management saying to fill that $24 billion loss, income taxes would need to go from 5.75% currently to about 15% to 18%.
Ramaswamy wants to phase out the state's income tax, starting with eliminating capital gains taxes.
Pepper said: "There's been giveaways at the top coming out of Columbus for years to people like Vivek Ramaswamy, who's been doing incredibly well. We've seen trickle-down economics play out for years."
Pepper said Ramaswamy's plan would have the wealthy "make out like bandits and everyone else pay the price."
Evan Machan, a Ramaswamy campaign spokesman, said: "Instead of standing on a debate stage and defending her failed ideas, Acton is sending out spoiled rich kid David Pepper, who is insulting Ohioans struggling to pay for gas and groceries by calling Vivek's plan for putting more money back into their pockets a 'scam.' The real scam? Acton and Pepper want more big government spending."
Pepper said Acton's policies are "to reduce healthcare costs, childcare costs, lower property taxes with targeted programs that help people who are especially squeezed by property taxes by fully funding our schools, a middle class and childcare tax credit. We are aiming our policies at reducing costs."