Politics
Central Ohio Executives and Developers Feature Prominently in Ramaswamy’s Ohio Donor List
Campaign finance data through Oct. 20 show Columbus-area developers, corporate executives and business-linked PACs among the leading contributors to Vivek Ramaswamy’s Ohio governor campaign. Their direct donations are separate from the tens of millions raised by a pro-Ramaswamy super PAC.
Columbus-area real estate developers and business leaders are among the largest contributors to Republican Vivek Ramaswamy’s campaign for Ohio governor, according to donation records covering 2025 through Oct. 20, 2026.
Jeff Edwards, president and CEO of Edwards Companies, and his wife, Lisa, each gave the campaign the maximum allowable amount listed in the records: $16,615.67. Other developers with Columbus-area business ties include Gary and Brian Schottenstein of Schottenstein Real Estate Group, whose contributions totaled $26,615; Conrad Geis of Geis Development, at $25,000; and Michael DeAscentis of LC Communities, at $22,500.
The donor list also includes Brad DeHays of Connect Realty, who gave $16,000, and William Ebbing of the New Albany Company and Jeffrey Woda of Woda Cooper Companies, who each gave $15,000.
Several prominent executives from outside the development sector also contributed $16,615 or close to it. They include Jay Schottenstein, CEO of Schottenstein Stores Corp. and American Eagle Outfitters; NetJets CEO Adam Johnson; Nationwide CEO Kirt Walker; AndHealth CEO Matt Scantland; Cardinal Health CEO Jason Hollar; and Ricart Automotive owner Rhett Ricart. Luckey Palmer, founder of Anduril Industries, also gave $16,615, according to the records.
The list includes multiple members of the Haslam family and Pete Edwards Jr., the brother of Jeff Edwards and a public representative of the Columbus Crew ownership group. The Crew is owned by Haslam Sports Group, the Edwards family and Nationwide. John H. McConnell II, whose father owns the Columbus Blue Jackets, gave $12,500.
Political action committees associated with Nationwide, Encova, NetJets, AEP, Huntington Bank, Ice Miller, DLZ Corp. and Root Inc. also appear among the contributors. PAC donations are distinct from individual contributions and from spending by outside groups.
One such outside group, the pro-Ramaswamy V-PAC, has raised more than $40 million, according to the campaign finance analysis cited in the records. That analysis identifies major donors including Elon Musk, who gave $5 million; Ratmir Timashev, who gave $5 million; and school-voucher advocate Jeff Yass, who gave $20 million. Super PACs may accept unlimited contributions, unlike direct campaign donations, which are subject to legal limits.
The donor disclosures come as Ramaswamy faces criticism over a campaign advertisement featuring Donna Arthur, the estranged mother of Democratic gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton. The ad attacks Acton’s account of her childhood. Court records and contemporaneous news reports have documented that Arthur’s husband was arrested for raping Acton when she was a child, that Arthur lost custody of her children and that her husband fled the state before his death in 2004. Gov. Mike DeWine and other prominent Ohio Republicans have condemned the ad.
Ohio’s early in-person voting began Oct. 6. Election Day is Nov. 3.