MONROE, OH – Outside a Vivek Ramaswamy campaign appearance in suburban Cincinnati, an unusual protester showed up: a former teacher of Ramaswamy who said he was "disappointed" in his one-time star pupil.
Michael Pogue, who taught Ramaswamy when he was in eighth grade, sat with signs reading "You owe Dr. Acton a full retraction and sincere apology!" and "Shame on you, Vivek! I taught you better!" outside a campaign event at Izzy's Delion Oct. 24 in Monroe.
Pogue said he wanted the Republican candidate for governor to retract his controversial ad attacking Democrat candidate Amy Acton. Ramaswamy's ad has gained national attention and criticism for featuring his opponent's estranged mother calling her a liar.
Acton's mother, Donna Stearns Arthur,
accused Acton of lying about her upbringing. Acton and her mother have been estranged since 1978, after Acton's stepfather was charged with sexually abusing her. Arthur stayed married to Acton's stepfather after he was charged and lost custody of her children.
"This latest attack on Dr. Acton hits home," Pogue told an Enquirer reporter. "I had too many students who were raped."
Teacher says he's 'disappointed'
During the campaign event Oct. 24, Ramaswamy told the crowd he attended Evendale Elementary and Princeton Junior High before going to St. Xavier High School.
Pogue told the Enquirer he was Ramaswamy's teacher at Princeton Junior High School in eighth grade and his former honor society advisor. A spokesperson for Ramaswamy's campaign did not respond to a phone call and email to confirm if Pogue taught Ramaswamy by publication or share any additional comment.
Pogue taught eighth-grade English in the Princeton City School District for 28 years, according to a 2022 article about him posted on the Cincinnati Country Day School website. Pogue graduated from Cincinnati Country Day School and substitute taught there after he retired from Princeton.
Pogue said he was "disappointed" in Ramaswamy for running the ad. He drove from Anderson Township hoping to talk to Ramaswamy at the event, but the candidate boarded a bus to go to another campaign event in Hamilton before he got the chance.
Ramaswamy told reporters Oct. 23 that the ad has "nothing to do with childhood abuse (or) sexual abuse."
"We condemn that as forcefully as anyone," Ramaswamy said Oct. 23. "Our ad was about a consistent track record of Amy Acton telling lies, including during this campaign."
Other attendees stand by ad
Pogue was the only outspoken opponent of the ad at the event Oct. 24. Other attendees told The Enquirer they aren't concerned about the ad and instead want to focus on securing the country's borders, bringing jobs to Ohio and stopping socialist candidates from taking office.
During the event, other attendees held a large Ramaswamy campaign sign to block Pogue from view inside the deli.
Ohio Republican Gov. Mike DeWine condemned the ad and called on Ramaswamy to take it down, as did former Ohio Republican Gov. John Kasich. President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance defended it.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Vivek Ramaswamy's 'disappointed' ex-teacher protests at campaign event
