Republican commentator Meghan McCain sharply criticized Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy on Friday after he proposed keeping children in school year-round and extending the school day to 4:00 p.m. as a way to make parenting more affordable. Ramaswamy, now the only Republican in Ohio’s primary race after Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel withdrew in September, is expected to face Democrat Dr. Amy Acton, the former COVID-era health director whose policies were deeply unpopular with conservatives.
Acton posted a video Friday of Ramaswamy discussing his idea: “Make parenting more affordable by making school year-round and going ’til 4:00 instead of 3:00, so you don’t have to pay for child care.” McCain, a frequent critic of policies she sees as government overreach, responded forcefully.
“This is an absolutely insane idea – completely removing the importance of family bonding time and anything non academic related,” McCain wrote. “I don’t want my kids to be school robot-trons with no balance or life outside of school. ENOUGH with this.”
According to The Daily Beast, Ramaswamy had posted the video to TikTok on Monday but then deleted it after Acton highlighted the clip. The outlet reported that the video “was up for several hours before it was deleted and replaced with a version that removed Ramaswamy’s year-round school proposal.” The original version remained on Ramaswamy’s Threads account, though the campaign provided no explanation as to why it was removed from other platforms.
The report added that MAGA-aligned social media figures quickly jumped to Ramaswamy’s defense, with some claiming—without evidence—that Acton had used AI to fabricate the video. Acton, who became a central figure of conservative frustration in Ohio during the COVID-19 lockdown and masking mandates, has long faced criticism from the Republican base.
Acton’s campaign manager, Philip Stein, seized on the controversy, calling the proposal fiscally reckless. “Blowing a massive hole in public school budgets by forcing teachers and students into year-round school is yet another example of how out of touch Vivek Ramaswamy is with Ohioans,” he said. “No wonder his own supporters think his videos are AI.”
Ramaswamy is no stranger to high-profile political fights. After launching a presidential bid in the 2024 Republican primary, he dropped out in January and was later tapped by President Donald Trump to lead the Department of Government Efficiency alongside Elon Musk. He left Washington months later to launch his Ohio gubernatorial campaign.
His proposal for year-round schooling appears to be part of a broader message around reshaping public institutions—but it has quickly drawn criticism from both moderates and conservatives. For many parents, including McCain, extending the school year is seen as a dramatic expansion of government intervention into family life.
The clash over Ramaswamy’s education proposal highlights the broader debate within the Republican Party over how far government should go in addressing childcare and education challenges. With the general election ahead, Ramaswamy now faces scrutiny not just from Democrats but from key voices within his own party who question whether his approach aligns with conservative values around family, freedom, and limited government.
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