Ramaswamy quietly removes Gary Click and Rodney Creech from endorsements page

UPDATE, April 13, 3:30 p.m.: Approximately two hours after this article was published, Click’s name was restored to the Ramaswamy endorsements page. Creech’s name remains absent. Web Archive snapshots confirm both names were removed on April 11.

Vivek Ramaswamy’s campaign for Ohio governor has quietly removed two state lawmakers from its official endorsements page — including one who was investigated for alleged sexual misconduct with a minor — days after TiffinOhio.net reported that the campaign was actively promoting their support.

State Reps. Gary Click (R-Vickery) and Rodney Creech (R-West Alexandria) no longer appear on the endorsements page at vivekforohio.com. As of April 13, neither name is listed among the dozens of Ohio legislators featured on the page.

A Web Archive snapshot from February 20 shows both Click and Creech listed on the page. A second snapshot from April 11 shows them removed.

The April 11 snapshot was captured two days after TiffinOhio.net published a report detailing how the Ramaswamy campaign was promoting the endorsement of Creech, who was accused in 2023 of climbing into bed with a minor female relative while erect and wearing only his underwear, according to Bureau of Criminal Investigation documents obtained by the Statehouse News Bureau. Ramaswamy also promoted the endorsement of Click, who made headlines earlier this month after resurfaced video showed Click reminiscing about talking to “young girls” about “how painful” it is for them to engage in sex, during testimony for his anti-trans legislation, House Bill 68.

The Ramaswamy campaign made no public announcement about removing either name. The campaign did not respond to a request for comment prior to publication of the April 9 article and has not publicly addressed the endorsement removals.

Click had praised the Ramaswamy ticket

Click’s removal is notable in part because of how enthusiastically he promoted the Ramaswamy-McColley ticket. In January 2026, when Ramaswamy selected Ohio Senate President Rob McColley as his running mate, Click told The Daily Signal: “Out of a crowd of super qualified candidates, Vivek made a strong pick for L.G. Rob McColley makes a great ticket even greater.”

Click added that “the future of Ohio grew just a little bit brighter tonight” and said McColley was “a proven leader who we know will bring results because he already has a history of doing so.”

Click also endorsed Ramaswamy on social media when the candidate visited Fremont and Clyde in April 2025, posting on X: “It was great to have @VivekGRamaswamy in Clyde last night and Fremont earlier in the day. Something transformational is happening in the heart of Ohio.”

Click is now facing a contested Republican primary in Ohio House District 88, where he is being challenged by Eric Watson. He has drawn scrutiny in recent months over his legislative record, campaign finance transfers to Speaker Matt Huffman’s PAC, and a quiet departure from his role as senior pastor at Fremont Baptist Temple — a transition first reported by TiffinOhio.net.

Creech remains party-endorsed despite allegations

Creech was the primary subject of TiffinOhio.net’s April 9 report. In 2023, a minor female relative accused Creech of climbing into bed and under the covers with her while erect, wearing only his underwear, according to BCI documents. Creech admitted to investigators that he had gotten into bed with the minor in his underwear but denied the sexual nature of the allegations. Clark County Special Prosecutor Daniel Driscoll declined to file charges but described Creech’s behavior as “concerning and suspicious.”

Ohio House Speaker Matt Huffman stripped Creech of his committee assignments in May 2025 and asked him to resign. Creech refused. In February 2026, Huffman reinstated him, then signed a letter requesting the Ohio Republican Party endorse him for re-election. The party obliged.

Creech is seeking re-election to Ohio House District 40 in the May 5 Republican primary, where he faces former state Rep. J. Todd Smith and Lew Lainhart.

Both Click and Creech were among the original 38 Ohio House Republicans whose endorsements were featured in an April 2025 press release on vivekforohio.com. As of April 13, neither appears anywhere on the campaign’s endorsements page. Other endorsers from the original list — including Rep. Phil Plummer (R-Dayton), who told BCI investigators that Creech’s comments about the allegations were “disgusting and uncalled for” — remain listed.