Vivek Ramaswamy’s campaign has removed a man with a serious criminal conviction from an advertisement supporting his Republican bid for Ohio governor, saying it had no knowledge of his background when the commercial was produced. Vernon Edwards appeared alongside his wife, Patricia “Patty” Edwards, in footage used in an advertisement focused on rising property taxes and her fears that the family could lose its home and farm. Newsweek independently confirmed Edwards’ criminal history through an Ohio appeals court decision.
The Lorain County Sheriff’s Office registry also lists Vernon Thomas Edwards and states that he is subject to lifetime sex offender registration. The Ramaswamy campaign told Newsweek it did not know about Edwards’ background and had removed him from the advertisement. We had no knowledge of the circumstances now being reported,” campaign spokesperson Evan Machan said.
The fact of the matter is that property taxes are insanely high and causing many Ohioans to consider moving out of their homes. Vivek is the leader who will fix it.” The advertisement grew out of an encounter Ramaswamy had with Patty and Vernon Edwards at the Lorain County Fair in September. Vernon Edwards shook Ramaswamy’s hand during the meetup, with the candidate complimenting the patriotic shirt he was wearing.
Patty Edwards then became emotional while discussing property taxes with Ramaswamy and fears that rising bills could force her family from their home and farm. Weeks later, the campaign produced an advertisement featuring Patty Edwards discussing those concerns directly to the camera and at a kitchen table. Her husband was not the focus of the commercial but appeared several times in accompanying footage from the earlier encounter.
The Bulwark first reported Edwards’ appearance in the advertisement and the campaign’s decision to remove him. After being contacted about Edwards’ background, the campaign also removed a social media video showing Ramaswamy’s earlier encounter with the couple, The Bulwark reported. The episode has raised questions about the campaign’s vetting procedures because information about Edwards’ conviction and registration status was contained in publicly available records.
The campaign did not say in its statement what vetting had been conducted before the advertisement was produced. The campaign of Democratic gubernatorial candidate Dr. Amy Acton responded sharply to the controversy, calling the campaign’s decision to feature Edwards disqualifying and criticizing Ramaswamy’s judgment.
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