A resurfaced clip of Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy explaining that he doesn't believe Jesus is 'the' son of God could further imperil the Republican's prospects.
He's locked in a tight general election race with Democrat Amy Acton, despite Ohio voters not elevating a Democrat to the governor's mansion in 20 years.
Recent polls show Ramaswamy and Acton trading leads, within one point of one another, well within the surveys' margins of error.
The former presidential hopeful also has attracted a Republican primary challenger, with voters heading to the polls next week.
Ramaswamy is Hindu and, as a 2024 presidential candidate, was filmed talking to an Iowa voter about his religious beliefs.
'So I'll be very honest, it's not a hard question. In our faith tradition, Jesus Christ is a son of God,' Ramaswamy told a voter during a campaign stop in Nevada, Iowa. 'I know that is different than saying he is the son of God. But that is my view of Jesus Christ.'
Ramaswamy, who jumped into politics after making a name for himself in the tech world as an anti-woke crusader, then added, 'One true God, in many forms.'
'The only way to heaven is through Jesus Christ,' the white male voter then said.
A resurfaced clip of Vivek Ramaswamy talking about his Hindu religion, in which he says he believes Jesus Christ is 'a' son of God, not 'the' son of God, went viral on Friday, right before a pivotal Ohio GOP gubernatorial primary
Ramaswamy responded by first saying, 'I think that that is the path,' before correcting himself.
'That is a path to heaven, is the way we look at it,' he said. 'Belief in God is what we say. Belief in the one true God.'
As the clip picked up steam online, conservative and MAGA-aligned accounts bashed his comments, with some Christians pushing him to 'find Jesus.'
Ramaswamy's campaign referred the Daily Mail to Aaron Baer, an Ohio-based evangelical leader who runs the nonprofit Center for Christian Virtue.
Baer pointed out that Ramaswamy has always been open about his beliefs.
'What's made Vivek a force on the campaign trail from day one is that he's not been afraid to take any question and have an honest conversation about where he stands,' Baer said. 'This transparency is one of his greatest strengths.'
'The video shows the respect he has for Christians by being open about where we differ on matters of faith and honest about how he shares our values,' Baer continued. 'He's shown more courage than most by not wavering on his support for life, family and freedom.'
Baer argued that these are the issues Christian voters care about, adding that he believed Ramaswamy would win the election.
Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy appears at a campaign event last month in Mason, Ohio. He'll have to get through a GOP primary opponent on Tuesday and then is neck-and-neck with the Democrat in the closely watched governor's race
During his 2024 run, Ramaswamy positioned himself as a Trump-like candidate without the baggage, but after a poor showing in the Iowa caucuses, he tossed his support to the President.
He was then appointed by Trump to co-lead the Department of Government Efficiency alongside Elon Musk, but departed in January 2025, pursuing a gubernatorial bid in his home state of Ohio instead.
While Acton has no challengers in the Democratic primary, Ramaswamy must beat Casey Putsch, a YouTuber who makes automotive videos under the name 'Casey the Car Guy,' in the state's May 5 Republican primary.
Putsch has been accused of spreading ethnic hate against Ramaswamy, whose family immigrated to the United States from India.
In a video posted by Putsch in mid-April, the YouTuber was filmed with a toy rifle asking, 'Hey Vivek, you wanna play cowboy vs. Indians?' before taking a few shots.
'Don't worry, it's feather, not dot,' Putsch said.
Putsch also called Ramaswamy an 'Indian, foreign national-born anchor baby billionaire that extols no conservative values,' the Columbus Dispatch reported.
Ramaswamy was born in Cincinnati.