Ramaswamy campaign removes registered sex offender from Ohio property-tax ad

Mixed · 2Vivek Ramaswamy's campaign for Ohio governor reworked a television ad and removed a man shown in it after reports that he is a registered sex offender. 1 2 Mixed · 2The ad is about property taxes and features Patricia "Patty" Edwards of Amherst, near Cleveland, who talks about her fear of losing the family farm; her husband, Vernon Edwards, appears several times in background footage. 1 2 Mixed · 2The Bulwark first reported that Vernon Edwards pleaded guilty in October 2006 to two counts of gross sexual imposition involving a girl under 13 and was sentenced to eight years in prison; he is on the Lorain County sex offender registry. 1 2

Centre · 1Newsweek said it independently confirmed the criminal history through an Ohio appeals court decision, and that the Lorain County Sheriff's Office registry lists him as subject to lifetime registration. 2 Mixed · 2The footage came from a September meeting at the Lorain County Fair, where Vernon Edwards shook Ramaswamy's hand and the candidate praised his patriotic shirt, and Patty Edwards then spoke emotionally about property taxes; the campaign released the ad about six weeks later. 1 2 Mixed · 2Campaign spokesperson Evan Machan said the campaign had "no knowledge of the circumstances now being reported" and that the man had been removed; he added that property taxes are "insanely high". 1 2

Left · 1After being contacted, the campaign also deleted the fair video from social media, according to The Bulwark, and at least one Republican state representative who had shared it took it down. 1 Mixed · 2The Bulwark noted that basic vetting could have caught the problem, since court records list a Vernon Edwards at Patty Edwards's address and his registry photo appears to show the same shirt; Newsweek said the episode raised questions about vetting because the information was public, and that the campaign did not say what vetting it did. 1 2 Mixed · 2Patty Edwards told The Bulwark the ad was about her, not her husband, that the campaign approached her, and that the accusations against him are "false" with prosecutors having withheld evidence; she said he served his sentence and has been "an exemplary citizen". 1 2

Centre · 1Democratic nominee Amy Acton's campaign, through spokeswoman Addie Bullock, called the decision to feature Edwards disqualifying and said Ramaswamy deliberately amplified him, which conflicts with the Ramaswamy campaign's account of no prior knowledge. 2 Centre · 1The two are competing to succeed Gov. Mike DeWine; a RealClearPolling average of polls from September 18 to October 6, cited by Newsweek from the Daily Mail, put Acton at 48.1 percent and Ramaswamy at 44.1 percent. 2