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DW Dave Weigel National political reporter for Semafor.

“Democrats have Dr. Amy Acton, who's from Youngstown, who had a very working class, poor background, and is not as eloquent a speaker or as dynamic a campaigner as Vivek, but it just has been an easier sell. … Vivek is associated with the tech industry … He's on tape saying data centers are great. He wants more in Ohio.”

Fast Politics with Molly Jong-Fast · US Politics · October 2026

“Democrats have Dr. Amy Acton, who's from Youngstown, who had a very working class, poor background, and is not as eloquent a speaker or as dynamic a campaigner as Vivek, but it just has been an easier sell. … Vivek is associated with the tech industry … He's on tape saying data centers are great. He wants more in Ohio.” — Dave Weigel on Dr. Amy Acton and Vivek Ramaswamy, Fast Politics with Molly Jong-Fast

Context

Dave Weigel of Semafor on Fast Politics with Molly Jong-Fast, October 2026, after a reporting trip to Youngstown, assessing the Ohio governor's race between Republican Vivek Ramaswamy and Democrat Amy Acton.

Transcript

Fast Politics with Molly Jong-Fast Around 48:46 into the episode
Dave Weigel

But are they committed to coming out and voting for Trump because he's going to change everything? They don't think that anymore. They've seen what kind of president he is.

Molly Jong-Fast

So do you think from being out, do you think that that chariot has a chance? Do you think that what is your sense on the ground there?

Dave Weigel

…speaker or as dynamic a campaigner as Vivek, but it just has been an easier sell. But Democrats are not saying, nobody was saying, we're really excited to get a bunch of white voters who don't like the Indian candidate. It's more that at this moment in time, Vivek is associated with... the tech industry, which was more popular than it was in, more popular in 2004 than it is now. It's understate. He's on tape saying data centers are great. He wants more in Ohio. And there's below the surface with the vague too, there is, you saw this with Republicans over the last month, our conservative influencers, this kind of anti-immigrant sentiment that is spread far beyond people who crossed the border illegally and are committing crime to H1B holders. You've got the irony of JD Vance being the vice president who's trying to stop the brain drain from India, keep…

Molly Jong-Fast

But don't you don't you think that if anyone can do it, Sherrod is neatly qualified?

Dave Weigel

Yes, that was the idea behind recruiting him. So Tim Ryan ran for Senate against J.D. Vance and lost. He lost this area, too, even though this has been the story. No Democrat is able to hold on to Moaning County, Moaning Valley. They win Youngstown, but not by enough. Brown, he has a better…

Molly Jong-Fast

Right. I mean, it's very hard for them to make that case. What other what other like stories of the midterm are you watching besides Ohio states where you are? You know, where you think Democrats really have a shot, where we might be surprised in Iowa, Kansas or in Alaska or where you don't think…

Speaker names come from our own diarization. The position is estimated from where the line sits in the episode.

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