There won’t likely be a debate between Ohio’s major party candidates for governor this fall, but a third contender in the race wants to be considered.
Libertarian Party of Ohio candidate Don Kissick said he wants to debate either or both Republican Vivek Ramaswamy and Democrat Amy Acton. He insisted he's pulling votes away from both of them.
Last month Ramaswamy announced he'd accepted two debate invitations and challenged Acton to join him. He said in an interview for "The State of Ohio": "I think it's a basic part of the job interview, and I've accepted the debates. I challenge my opponent to do the same so we can talk about substantive issues." He also blasted Acton for claims made about an Alzheimer's drug launched by his pharmaceutical company in ads, saying she's "slandering her opponent while doing so from the shadows."
Acton has been accused of having drug and alcohol abuse problems, which she flatly denied in an interview for "The State of Ohio". Her campaign manager said in a statement that Ramaswamy is "a scam artist who spreads baseless lies about her and her family". Acton said she "will not be giving a platform to someone who I think is not just out of touch and not right, for I think he is a danger."
Kissick said he agrees with Ramaswamy's statement that Ohioans need a debate. So he's contacted Ramaswamy's campaign to set up a debate.
“If he wants to throw this rhetoric out that ‘if you are not willing to debate, are you fit to lead then?’ Well, he needs to practice what he preaches," Kissick said in an interview.
Kissick said he'd also like to debate Acton, but that he "understands why Dr. Acton is troubled by a lot of the rhetoric and a lot of the messaging" from Ramaswamy and his supporters.
"I, myself, and my campaign, we have not engaged in any of that so there really is no reason for her to decline to debate me," Kissick said.
The Acton and Ramaswamy campaigns have been contacted for comment on this story but have not responded.
About Don Kissick
Kissick said he has three major policies in his platform. He's concerned about Flock cameras and other license plate readers. Acton has said she favors a bipartisan ban and wants a comprehensive overview of how they're used. Ramaswamy has said Ohio won’t be turned into what he called "a surveillance state", but hasn’t said what regulations he’d support.
Another issue is data centers. Kissick said a governor appoints people to key boards that determine whether data centers meet environmental and construction standards, so he'd appoint people who would fully scrutinize those projects. And like Ramaswamy and Acton, he doesn't want any more data centers built until certain conditions are met, such as a ban on non-disclosure agreements around them.
Kissick said he's signed the petition to abolish property taxes, which backers are looking to get onto the November 2027 ballot. If property tax revenue disappears, an alternative source of funding for schools, libraries and local safety services would be necessary. Some officials, including Republican Gov. Mike DeWine, have suggested the state sales tax could rise to 20% to compensate for the lost revenue from property taxes. But Kissick said he doesn't think that's the case.
"Honestly, there's gonna be enough money… Ohio doesn't have a revenue problem. In fiscal year 2025, the state of Ohio ran a $1.5 billion surplus. Projections for fiscal year 2027 are a $1.75 billion surplus," Kissick said. "There are revenues. We need to rein in spending. I know this is a promise you get from a lot of conservatives who run for office. I'm gonna follow through."
Kissick said he has support
In 2018, the five independent and minor party tickets for governor got 2.9% of the vote. The four independent and minor party candidates for governor in 2022 got .2% of the overall vote. Kissick said he's sure he has more support, though he's unsure how much more because there isn't reliable polling. But he said when his name has been mentioned in polls, he is getting around 10% of the vote.
"It's an uphill battle, no doubt about it," Kissick said. But he added, "there's so much dissatisfaction with the Republican and Democratic nominees that people are starting to look at us."
While Libertarian voters usually come from the conservative side of the electorate, Kissick said he doesn't think he is pulling support from one candidate over the other.
“Honestly, Dr. Acton is not known for her free-market stance but she has also been throwing a lot of historically marginalized populations under the bus and that’s drawing voters from that side of the aisle," Kissick said. "There’s an enormous trust deficit with Vivek Ramaswamy, so we are pulling some of the people who might have voted for him.”
But Kissick doesn't see himself playing the role of a "spoiler" in this election: "I can’t steal what neither of those candidates have earned, and they have not earned a lot of people’s votes."
