Gov. Mike DeWine (R-OH) forcefully spoke out on Friday against his would-be Republican successor, Vivek Ramaswamy, for pushing to suspend the gas tax to offset rising fuel prices.
“Very, very bad idea,” DeWine told WEWS statehouse reporter Morgan Trau, during a stop at a Kroger.
Ramaswamy's proposal has been advancing through the Ohio legislature, meaning that if it passes soon, DeWine would have the ultimate say over whether it becomes reality or not. He stopped short of committing to veto it.
Ohio's fuel tax is presently 38.5 cents per gallon of gasoline and 47 cents per gallon of diesel. The latter in particular has been rising precipitously amid a worldwide market disruption, with prices in many places exceeding $6 a gallon. The proposed suspension of the gas tax would apply for 90 days, similar to Trump's controversial plan to ban diesel exports.
Per a prior report, Republicans in the legislature want the gas tax suspension to bypass the standard waiting period for such legislation and take effect immediately. However, this would require a two-thirds majority vote, so the GOP would have to persuade some number of Democrats to get on board with the plan as well.
Ramaswamy, a businessman who ran for president in 2024 and was an early backer and adviser to President Donald Trump's comeback, is locked in a hotly contested race with Democrat Amy Acton, who previously served as public health chief in DeWine's administration. Democrats haven't won a governor's race in Ohio since 2006, but polling suggests a tight contest.
Meanwhile, former Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown is trying to return to Congress with a challenge to Republican Sen. Jon Husted, which is similarly seeing competitive polling.
