FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
July 8, 2026
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NBC4: Complaint alleges Ramaswamy “violated campaign finance law by failing to disclose $500,000 in payments”
COLUMBUS, OH – Yesterday, NBC4 reported that Ohio State Senator Kent Smith filed a complaint of Vivek Ramaswamy’s failure to disclose over $500,000 in credit card payments on his campaign finance report. NBC4 reports that “campaigns have an obligation to identify any expenditures of $25 or more and specify what the funds are used for.”
READ: Lawmaker files complaint alleging Ramaswamy improperly reported funds
- Ohio Senate Democrats filed a complaint with the secretary of state Tuesday alleging Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy violated campaign finance law by failing to disclose $500,000 in payments.
- State Sen. Kent Smith (D-Euclid) filed the complaint on Tuesday, alleging Ramaswamy and his running mate, state Senate President Rob McColley, violated campaign finance law by not specifying what the credit cards were used for. Smith argues that the credit card payments could reflect any purchases, allegedly violating the specificity that the law requires.
- “…At some point, eventually, they need to identify any and all of those (expenses),” said Phil Richter, executive director of the Ohio Elections Commission from January 1995 to Dec. 31, 2025.
- Richter said campaigns have an obligation to identify any expenditures of $25 or more and specify what the funds are used for. Ohio law states all candidates must file campaign finance reports that “set forth in detail the contributions and expenditures of the committee.” The law requires details including the amount of money, who the money went to and what it was used for.
- Across campaign finance filings, Ramaswamy has reported $509,473.01 in credit card payments since beginning his campaign in 2025. All payments went to American Express and were documented between April 2025 and June 2026.
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