For the second major holiday weekend in two months, Vivek Ramaswamy is spending at least part of it outside Ohio.
The Republican nominee for governor was photographed Friday in the stands at the U.S. Open in New York City as Labor Day weekend got underway. The photos were circulated separately by Democratic nominee Amy Acton’s campaign and the Ohio Democratic Party, both of which said Ramaswamy flew to New York aboard a private jet.
The trip comes exactly two months after Ramaswamy left Ohio for Paris on the Fourth of July, the nation’s 250th birthday.
Ramaswamy did spend part of July 4 in Ohio, appearing at events in Lancaster and Upper Arlington. But that night, at about 10:20 p.m., a Bombardier Global 5000 linked to Ramaswamy departed John Glenn Columbus International Airport for Paris, according to flight-tracking data previously reported by TiffinOhio.net. The aircraft landed at Paris-Le Bourget the following morning, and Ramaswamy subsequently traveled to Geneva before returning to Ohio on July 12, according to an analysis of flight records and his public schedule by The Rooster.
His appearance in New York on Friday also came just four days after Ramaswamy himself called attention to how rarely he said he leaves Ohio.
Speaking Monday at the Republican Jewish Coalition’s annual summit in Las Vegas, Ramaswamy told the audience he was “making a rare exception” to leave the state. By Friday, he was outside Ohio again, this time watching the U.S. Open as the holiday weekend began.
Recent reporting based on flight records has raised questions about just how rare Ramaswamy’s out-of-state travel has been. In July, The Rooster calculated that Ramaswamy had spent 79 of the first 201 days of 2026 outside Ohio — about 39% of the year to that point. The newsletter said it cross-referenced federal flight records for two aircraft associated with Ramaswamy against his known public appearances and excluded stretches when the aircraft traveled without evidence that Ramaswamy was aboard.
His air travel has also become a significant campaign expense. An Ohio Capital Journal review of campaign-finance reports found that Ramaswamy’s gubernatorial campaign had spent nearly $690,000 leasing aircraft since he launched his campaign. Nearly $560,000 went to V Leasing LLC, which lists as its address a house owned by Ramaswamy, while nearly $130,000 went to TVPX Aircraft Solutions, according to the report.
Ramaswamy’s campaign has previously defended his use of private aircraft, saying air travel allows him to reach voters throughout Ohio’s 88 counties. The campaign has also said in response to earlier reporting that Ramaswamy personally pays for some private air travel. The nearly $690,000 identified by the Ohio Capital Journal represents aircraft-leasing expenditures reported by his gubernatorial campaign and does not establish that every trip aboard an aircraft associated with Ramaswamy was campaign-funded.
Acton’s campaign seized on the latest trip Friday, pointing specifically to the four-day gap between Ramaswamy’s “rare exception” comment and his appearance in New York.
“The only thing billionaire scam artist Vivek Ramaswamy is interested in serving is himself,” Acton campaign spokeswoman Addie Bullock said in a Friday statement.
Labor Day falls Monday, Sept. 7. Ramaswamy faces Acton in the Nov. 3 general election for governor.
Ramaswamy’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment.
