▶ Key Takeaways
- It is not possible to accurately determine a candidate’s core religious beliefs or values based only on short news soundbites or campaign ads.
- A candidate’s faith and values are still important factors when making voting decisions.
- In the Ohio gubernatorial race, the candidates mentioned are Vivek Ramaswamy and Dr. Amy Acton.
- Voters may mistakenly assume a candidate’s personal religious identity based on limited public perception.
- Research tools like search engines or AI can help voters better understand a candidate’s stated beliefs and positions.
- Voting decisions should prioritize a candidate’s values over their faith or ethnicity.
Deciding how to vote in state and local elections is critical.
Determining which candidates align with your faith and values is difficult.
Listening to campaign ads and media-edited sound bites doesn’t provide sufficient information.
More research is necessary.
Case in point: the 2026 governor’s race in Ohio.
Vivek Ramaswamy – the Republican candidate – is a successful businessman who often talks as if he’s a Christian.
But he’s not a Christian – he’s a practicing Hindu.
Amy Acton – the Democratic candidate – is a medical doctor and has preached at a United Church of Christ in Columbus.[1]
But she isn’t a Christian either – she’s Jewish.
So what should Ohio voters do?
And what should voters in other states do when candidates differ in their core religious beliefs?
In all elections, Christian voters should vote for the candidates that best align with their non-negotiable values.
Here are 6 guidelines you can use to discern where candidates stand on faith and values:
- Don’t draw conclusions about religious faith based on short soundbites.
Vivek Ramaswamy attended a Catholic high school in Cincinnati, Ohio.
He often speaks about values he shares with Christians, such as:
- The importance of faith
- Traditional family structures
- Religious liberty
- Patriotism – love of the United States of America
These statements and facts have led many Ohioans and other Americans to assume he is a Christian.
But he has never claimed to be a Christian or a follower of Christianity.
Instead, he has stated that he is a proud Hindu who believes in one true God from the Vedanta tradition who appears in different forms.
Many voters, however, haven’t heard this more thorough statement of Ramaswamy’s faith.
They have assumed he must be a Christian based on the more reported “shared values” soundbites.
- Know the candidates’ position regarding protecting the unborn.
Vivek Ramaswamy supports traditional pro-life policies to protect the unborn.
He has selected Ohio Senate President Rob McColley as his Lieutenant Governor running mate.
McColley co-sponsored Ohio’s “Heartbeat Bill,” which restricts abortion after six weeks, with no exceptions for rape or incest.
Dr. Amy Acton is pro-abortion.
She has noted on her Facebook page that she favors giving women in Ohio the choice of abortion.
- Know the candidates’ position regarding Christian schools and home schooling.
Ohio has a school voucher program called EdChoice.
It allows families – regardless of income level – to use taxpayer dollars to send their children to non-public schools.[2]
Ramaswamy supports the expansion of this program.
He favors:
- Allowing funding to follow students to the schools chosen by parents, including Christian schools
- Merit-based pay for public school educators
- Improving academic outcomes over increased public school funding
Dr. Acton criticizes school choice voucher programs like EdChoice.
She believes:
- the public school system in Ohio is underfunded by $3 billion
- the underfunding has led to cuts in classes, athletic programs, and jobs
- the quality of public education will only improve if it is fully funded by the state
- Use search engines and/or an AI tool to find out what candidates believe about other important issues.
News soundbites, interview clips and campaign ads give very vague and incomplete information about candidates’ positions on specific issues.
You can query a search engine such as Google, Bing, or DuckDuckGo – or an AI tool such as grok.com – to learn more specific information.
You may have your own specific issues that are critical for you.
For Christians, some of the other “non-negotiable” values that are important in determining how to vote are:
- Support for the First Amendment freedoms of speech and religious expression
- Tax-exemption for churches
- Desire to help the persecuted Church worldwide
- Support for the existence of Israel
- Support for constitutionalist judges over activist judges
- Choose values and policy positions over religious affiliation when deciding who to vote for.
Many candidates in the current election cycle are claiming to be Christians.
But they don’t define what they believe a Christian is… or whether their worldview is based on biblical doctrine or on secular humanism.
There are three criteria that should never be the determining factor in choosing which candidate to vote for in an election:
- We should not vote for someone solely because they follow a particular religion or faith.
- We should not determine NOT to vote for someone solely because of their religion or faith – or because they claim to be an atheist.
- We should not determine either to vote for someone or not to vote for someone because of their race or ethnicity.
Our choices should be based on their positions on key non-negotiable values and policies – policies that are based on a biblical worldview.
Regarding the Ohio gubernatorial race we have been discussing:
- Vivek Ramaswamy is a practicing Hindu.
- Amy Acton is Jewish.
- Neither of them is Christian
- While they both believe in God, they do not both believe in the God of the Bible
Dr. Acton has not stated whether she is an orthodox Jew or a liberal Jew.
We don’t really know how important Judaism is in her life.
She is married to an Episcopalian – so that tells us something.[3]
Regarding Ramaswamy’s faith, he was specifically asked his opinion about Jesus when he was running for President in 2024.
He said, Jesus is A son of god but Jesus is not THE son of god. Jesus is A way to heaven but not THE way to heaven.”[4]
The problem that Christians have when someone talks about God is that they usually assume that the person is talking about the God of the Bible.
But Ramaswamy does not believe in the God of the Bible.
The Vedanta tradition of Hinduism that Ramaswamy espouses teaches that:
- Our true nature is not the body or the mind, but a divine, immortal Self.
- The ultimate reality – Brahman – is within every person.
- The purpose of life is to recognize our inherent divinity and to achieve liberation from the cycle of ignorance and suffering through spiritual wisdom.
Ramaswamy believes that Jesus provides one way of achieving Vedanta liberation… but that there are other ways of experiencing Brahman as well.
At a Turning Point USA event last year where he spoke, he was accused by a young conservative of “masquerading as a Christian.”[5]
Ramaswamy has never openly pretended to be a Christian, but the conservative values he shares with Christians has caused many to believe that he has.
The important thing to judge candidates by is their values and policy positions, not whether they believe in the God of the Bible or in the deity of Jesus.
- Pray for wisdom before casting your ballot.
Ultimately, God determines who rules over us both at the local and at the national level.
“For not from the east nor from the west nor from the desert comes exaltation; but God is the Judge; He puts down one and exalts another.” (Psalms 75:6-7)
But we do have a responsibility as citizens and as Christians to choose godly leaders from among us to lead us.
And God will honor our prayers for wisdom:
“But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him [or her] ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach and it will be given to him [or her].” (James 1:5)
What do you think? Email me at [email protected].
Action Items:
- Get my book The Christian Voter: 7 Non-Negotiables for Voting For, Not Against, Your Values. Click HERE to order the book online. You can order the book on Amazon HERE. Or get the audiobook version HERE, or on Kindle HERE. You can also get an autographed edition online HERE or by phone at 615-814-6633 (M-F 10am to 3pm).You can also send a check for $26.13 (includes shipping) payable to Media Specialists and send it to this address:Media Specialists
1313 4th Ave N
Nashville, TN 37208 - If you live in California, click HERE to access my voter guide for the June primary election.
FAQs:
Q: What is the overall message of this article?
A. The central message is that voters should carefully research the views of candidates and not make voting decisions based solely on edited soundbites or general campaign ads and messages.
Q: Why are values more important than faith practice in determining who to vote for?
A. There are so many degrees of belief in Christianity, Judaism and other faiths that it is nearly impossible to ascertain one’s level of faith or unbelief. Values on the other hand determine policy preferences, which will govern what a candidate will work toward once elected.
Q: Why have many voters assumed that Vivek Ramaswamy is a Christian, or claims to be a Christian?
A. He has spoken often of sharing the same values as conservative Christians; and many voters haven’t heard his other statements in which he says he is a practicing Hindu and not Christian.
Q: How can voters research candidates’ views on core values?
A. Search engines such as Google, Bing or DuckDuckGo – or an AI app such as grok.com – can be queried with specific questions about specific issues. They will search the web in seconds and provide articles and videos to give detailed information about a candidate’s views.
Q: What are non-negotiable values?
A. Non-negotiable values are biblically-based values that Christians should require political candidates they vote for to agree with. There are 7 non-negotiable values explained in my book, The Christian Voter: 7 Non-Negotiables for Voting For, Not Against, Your Values.
Q: In addition to researching the values held by candidates, what else should Christians do before voting in any election?
A. Christians should pray for wisdom and guidance. (James 1:5-6)
About Craig Huey:
Craig Huey is a longtime direct-response marketing strategist and publisher who focuses on the intersection of faith, politics, culture, and economic freedom. He is president of ElectionForum.org and the founder of Creative Direct Marketing Group (CDMG), where his team has tested thousands of marketing variables and earned more than 100 industry awards. Craig publishes commentary at CraigHuey.com and co-hosts media projects that equip Americans to understand what’s happening—and what to do next.
[1] Danea King, https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/2022/08/18/amy-acton-preach-columbus-church-environment-first-congregational/65403175007/#
[2] Morgan Trau, https://www.news5cleveland.com/news/politics/ohio-politics/where-the-gubernatorial-candidates-stand-on-education
[3] Danea King, op. cit.
[4] Jose Niño, https://headlineusa.com/vivek-ramaswamys-jesus-comments-spark-gop-faith-firestorm/
[5] Ellie Quinlan Houghtaling, https://newrepublic.com/post/201664/vivek-ramaswamy-turning-point-racism-ohio