A fringe white nationalist from Illinois has declared war on Ohio’s gubernatorial frontrunner using openly racist rhetoric that reveals the ugly underbelly of identity-based political opposition.
The Outsider’s Interference Campaign
Nick Fuentes, a 27-year-old Illinois resident with no apparent ties to Ohio, has positioned himself as an unlikely kingmaker in the Buckeye State’s 2025 gubernatorial race. The self-described white nationalist announced his intention to campaign against Vivek Ramaswamy actively, calling it “the only race” he cares about. His motivation has nothing to do with policy differences or governing philosophy—it’s purely racial animosity dressed up as political activism.
Fuentes used the derogatory term “anchor baby” to describe Ramaswamy, who was born in Cincinnati to legal immigrants from India. The inflammatory language reveals the hollow nature of his opposition. Rather than engaging with Ramaswamy’s conservative credentials or policy positions, Fuentes reduces the entire gubernatorial contest to skin color and ethnic heritage. This approach represents everything wrong with identity-obsessed politics, regardless of which side practices it.
Nick Fuentes says he's going to campaign against Vivek Ramaswamy in 2026
"This anchor baby cannot become governor of Ohio—do not give this anchor baby your vote." pic.twitter.com/k4fqMBYTsv
— 𝐆𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐝𝐮𝐬 (@ImperiumFirst) December 24, 2025
The Target of Manufactured Outrage
Vivek Ramaswamy’s biography reads like a quintessential American success story. Born in Cincinnati in 1985, he grew up in a household where his mother worked as a geriatric psychiatrist and his father as an engineer and patent attorney. His parents followed legal immigration pathways and built productive careers serving American communities. Ramaswamy himself excelled academically, earning degrees from Harvard University in biology and Yale Law School before launching successful business ventures.
The former presidential candidate now leads Ohio’s gubernatorial race based on his conservative policy platform and business experience. His campaign focuses on traditional Republican priorities: economic growth, limited government, and constitutional principles. Yet Fuentes dismisses all of this in favor of crude racial categorization. The contrast couldn’t be starker between Ramaswamy’s substantive approach to governance and Fuentes’ superficial fixation on ancestry.
A Pattern of Ugly Rhetoric
Fuentes’ attack on Ramaswamy follows his recent targeting of Vice President JD Vance’s wife, Usha, also the daughter of Indian immigrants. Vance responded by telling Fuentes to “eat s–t,” demonstrating how mainstream conservatives reject this brand of racial politics. The pattern reveals Fuentes’ broader strategy of using inflammatory rhetoric to generate attention and division within conservative circles.
His latest comments about preferring “even a Jewish woman” to win—referring to Democrat candidate Amy Acton—expose the antisemitic foundation of his worldview. Fuentes combines multiple forms of bigotry into a toxic political cocktail that repulses decent Americans across party lines. His willingness to support Democrats or third parties solely to block a conservative Indian-American candidate shows how racial obsession overrides any genuine political principles.
Ben Shapiro seethes over Nick Fuentes at AMFEST pic.twitter.com/F6mv79fIbk
— Governor Monzatti '26 (@GovernorLuca) December 19, 2025
The Broader Stakes
This episode highlights a critical choice facing conservative voters: substance versus tribalism. Ramaswamy offers concrete policy proposals and proven business leadership, while Fuentes peddles nothing but racial resentment. The fact that an out-of-state agitator believes he can influence Ohio voters through racist appeals says more about his delusions than Ohio’s electorate.
American conservatism has always been about ideas, not bloodlines. The movement’s greatest champions—from Thomas Sowell to Clarence Thomas to Bobby Jindal—have come from diverse backgrounds united by shared principles. Fuentes’ campaign represents the antithesis of this tradition, reducing complex governance challenges to primitive tribal thinking that most conservatives rightfully reject.