Ramaswamy mobilizes conservative youth at AmericaFest, eyes 2026 races

PHOENIX — Vivek Ramaswamy warned conservatives not to take any political races for granted, including his bid in Ohio, as he discussed what AmericaFest could mean for the movement's next phase and its appeal to young voters.

Ramaswamy arrived at the Phoenix Convention Center Friday and told Fox News Digital he had already met several people there who said they were energized to join him at the conference. "Funny enough — and I often like to do this when I travel west — I went for a hike earlier today to what's called Camelback Mountain, and we saw tons of young people who are going to be here tonight that were getting their outdoor time, so I got to talk to a lot of them," he said. "I would say the mood is a combination of enthusiastic and determined, but with a sober sentimentality as well. It's clear that a lot of these young people were, I mean, just like me and the rest of us, affected by Charlie's death. And they're hungry for direction."

Many of the young conservatives he met appeared to want to find the direction the conservative movement and Turning Point USA would go after Kirk's death, and he emphasized that Ohio's race is not a foregone conclusion. In Ohio, where he is seeking to succeed term-limited moderate Republican Mike DeWine, Ramaswamy stressed that even though the state has been reliably red, he isn't taking the race for granted. Republicans are reeling from a string of losses from Florida to Pennsylvania just weeks ago.

"I think we’ve got to worry less about just defeating the left because we did that last year. That's not good enough. We have to offer our own vision of what do we actually stand for," Ramaswamy said. "And, in Ohio, what I know I'm going to be able to deliver is two things that Ohio needs and I believe this country needs: No. 1 is to put more money back in people's pockets," he said. He noted that government cannot immediately rein in rising commodity costs as voters demanded in selecting President Donald Trump over Kamala Harris’ continuation of the Biden agenda. "We can do certain things, like bring down electric bills by producing more energy. We'll do those things. But the direct way we can help people is put more money in people's pockets by bringing down the property tax burden, by taking the income tax rate down to zero so people are actually able to have more money to afford things, not just waiting for costs to come down," he said. "And, No. 2, is preparing our young people to be useful, contributing members of the workforce with a better education system."

Ramaswamy said the education system has failed American youth for years, through "woke indoctrination" and "victimhood psychology" — issues he said states should address. "As someone who did run for president, I can tell you that a governor can make an even bigger difference than a president when it comes to education," he added. "I hope we in Ohio set an example of what the other 49 states can actually aspire to."

Looking past Trump's term limit in 2028, Ramaswamy said the conservative movement will continue so long as it maintains its "aspirational" focus. "That's my message to those young people tonight, and it is a challenging message. It's not sugar-coated. The No. 1 factor that determines whether you achieve your goals in life is actually you. That's a tough message, but it's the truth. JFK, who famously said, right, ‘Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.’ Now's the moment to remember that message," he said.

Turning to another Kennedy, Ramaswamy, who founded biotech company Roivant Sciences, was asked his view of the MAHA agenda being pursued by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Ramaswamy said MAHA has established youth health as paramount to healthy future generations. Kennedy’s pursuit of healthier foods in schools and returning to stronger physical education standards underlies the "core thesis behind MAHA." "That is, that the best way to bring down health care costs — who would have ever thought? — is actually to have a healthier population in the first place," Ramaswamy said. "That's something that most Americans are behind. The ‘how’ is, of course, easier said than done, but there are commonsense state-level changes that I'm confident we can implement in Ohio that aren't about right versus left. It's about right versus wrong. It's common sense, and I'm sure we're going to be able to get those delivered quickly after I win this election."

Charles Creitz is a reporter for Fox News Digital. He joined Fox News in 2013 as a writer and production assistant. Charles covers media, politics and culture for Fox News Digital. Charles is a Pennsylvania native and graduated from Temple University with a B.A. in Broadcast Journalism. Story tips can be sent to charles.creitz@fox.com.