(Photo illustration by Bill Kuchman/The Bulwark | Photos: Getty, Shutterstock)PROPERTY TAXES ARE A HOT-BUTTON ISSUE in Ohio, where Republican Vivek Ramaswamy is trying to run as a change candidate for governor in a state long run by Republicans. And in his latest campaign ad, he tried to press the button hard. The spot featured a woman from Amherst (a Cleveland suburb) named Patricia “Patty” Edwards, who is fretting about losing the family farm.But while the topic may resonate with voters, the featured couple has created complications for Ramaswamy’s camp.That’s because Vernon Edwards—Patty’s husband, who appears a few times in b-roll alongside her in the ad—is a registered sex offender.According to court records, Edwards entered into a plea deal in October 2006, in which he pleaded guilty to two counts of “gross sexual imposition”—that is, according to Ohio statute, nonconsensual sexual contact—with a minor. Though there were allegations that he committed similar acts against several nieces, he was ultimately charged in a case involving one of them, a girl under the age of 13, because the statute of limitations had expired in the other instances. He was sentenced to eight years in prison.Vernon Edwards isn’t the main focus of the Ramaswamy campaign ad. But he does appear several times in it, with footage drawn from a prior interaction he and his wife had with Ramaswamy at the Lorain County Fair in September this year. That interaction, posted in September by Ramaswamy to his X account, took place while he was glad-handing voters. Vernon Edwards greeted Ramaswamy with a handshake, and the candidate complimented his patriotic shirt. Later, Patty Edwards introduced herself to Ramaswamy and grew emotional while talking with him about the heavy weight of property taxes and her fears she would lose her farm. Six weeks later, the campaign produced the television ad featuring Patty Edwards talking directly to camera and at a kitchen table expressing those same fears.Asked about Vernon Edwards’s criminal history, Evan Machan, a spokesperson for the Ramaswamy campaign, said they had no prior knowledge of it and were changing the version of the ad currently in rotation in order to remove him.“This ad was based on a real interaction between Vivek and an Ohio woman who was distraught at a county fair because she may have to move out of her home due to rising property taxes. We had no knowledge of the circumstances now being reported,” said Machan. “The man has been removed from the ad. 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.”After offering the comment, the campaign also quietly took down the social video featuring Vernon Edwards, as did at least one Republican Ohio state representative who had shared the video as well—suggesting a coordinated effort to wipe the record.ShareThe inclusion of Vernon Edwards in the original social video and the television ad raises questions about the aspiring governor’s campaign—specifically, whether it is conducting due diligence. Ramaswamy is running for chief executive of the Buckeye State—and asking Ohioans to trust his judgment enough to make him governor—on the strength of his personal narrative, which pictures him as a competent business leader.In a phone call with The Bulwark, Patty said that the campaign reached out to her about recording the ad. She stressed that the commercial was about her story and had nothing to do with her husband.“I am a normal American citizen, and the ad was with me and with Vivek. That’s who was involved with us, and that’s who they reached out to,” she said. As for her husband’s past history, she called the accusations against him “false,” saying that the prosecutors withheld exculpatory evidence. “Even if that [the allegations] were true,” she added, “the man did do his time back to society, and he has been an exemplary citizen at this point. And again, Vivek reached out to me. I am not accused of anything. I am an American citizen. I’m allowed to do this.”Campaigns typically vet the individuals they put forward in ads to ensure both that their stories are true and that there are no red flags in their biographies. Among the records that could have been discovered were court documents showing a Vernon Edwards from the same Amherst address as Patty listed in the Lorain County sex offender registry. In addition, a Google search would have shown Edwards appearing to wear the exact same patriotic shirt in the sex offender registry as the one Ramaswamy complimented him for wearing when they met at the fair.
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