Ohio Republican gubernatorial nominee Vivek Ramaswamy scrubbed a campaign video of himself swinging at pitches in a batting cage after it became a viral punchline — and an eyewitness accused his team of deceptively editing the footage.
Ramaswamy posted the clip Tuesday as part of a "10 things" series laying out his plans as governor, with the batting cage footage appearing alongside a mix of policy announcements, The Washington Sun reported. The swings quickly became the internet's main takeaway, with Democrats piling on to mock his form.
David Pepper, the Democratic lieutenant governor nominee running alongside Ramaswamy's opponent Amy Acton, used the moment to needle Ramaswamy's business record on X. The Ohio Democratic Party joined in with a press release titled "Swing and a Miss! Ten Ways Vivek Ramaswamy Would Strike Out for Ohio's Working Families." And Rep. Chris Deluzio (D-PA) posted his own batting cage video poking fun at Ramaswamy while criticizing private equity's role in youth sports costs.
Former Montana congressional candidate Ryan Busse took a particularly sharp jab at the irony, given the GOP's frequent emphasis on masculinity.
"The party of ultimate masculinity highlights a gov candidate swinging a bat with the force and form of an 87yr old grandmother," Busse wrote.
The mockery took a more serious turn when Michael Peacock, who told TiffinOhio.net he was at the same batting cage during filming, claimed Ramaswamy took roughly 25 pitches but made contact only a handful of times, and suggested the campaign's video reused footage from those same few successful swings rather than showing the full attempt.
Ramaswamy's campaign did not respond to a request for comment, and the original video has since vanished from his social media accounts, though screenshots and reposts continue circulating online.
Polls currently show Ramaswamy and Acton, the former public health director under sitting Gov. Mike DeWine, locked in a dead heat ahead of November's election.