Ron Ferguson ran for the Ohio House of Representatives with a target on his back, put there by the Republican establishment. Establishment groups poured roughly $1.5 million into defeating him in the primary, yet he emerged victorious, winning over 60% of the vote. What happens when a legislator actually votes for limited government? The establishment GOP goes to war with him.
Leadership-aligned groups unleashed the full establishment playbook against Ferguson: mailers, massive outside spending, and intense political pressure.
“A lot of people abandon their principles because they are more fearful of leadership than they are the people who just voted for them,” Liberty Action Senior Legislative Advisor Erik Mortensen said. “You don't have to cave to the will of the leadership–the people will protect you. Principled organizations and informed constituents will have your back. Just get in there, do the right thing, shrink the size of government, force tough votes, and actually try to deliver on your campaign promises.”
Ferguson’s victory was made possible in part thanks to the hard work of Liberty Action-trained student activists mobilized through Operation Win at the Door. These students, working with Make Liberty Win PAC, made an impact, including 11,375 doors and 8,368 live calls. Their incredible efforts brought Ferguson a landslide victory of 62.43% of the vote.
Mortensen called Ferguson “the Ron Paul of Ohio.” He said the brutal primary battle was predictable.
“This stuff happens to our coalition members all the time,” Mortensen said. “I was a coalition member when I served in the Minnesota House, and when you're being the tip of the spear and demanding principled votes, the establishment comes after you.”
Ferguson built a reputation in Columbus as one of the legislature’s most reliable liberty conservatives, frequently clashing with Republican leadership over spending and government expansion. He’s leading the fight to repeal property taxes in Ohio. Ferguson said he was never surprised to find himself targeted.
“It's just a matter of time when you are standing up for the right things, the principles of liberty, putting America first, putting your district first–inevitably the special interests and powers that be, the establishment, they're going to come after you.”
It’s becoming increasingly common that the GOP establishment is battling liberty Republicans instead of standing with them, even though voters across the country keep demanding more pro-liberty candidates for state offices and more pro-liberty policies.
“It just shows how far out of touch the establishment is with the party,” Ferguson said. “The Republican Party is supposed to be the big tent party. They're supposed to be a diversity of thought. It's what makes our country great, is diversity of thought. And for me, it's pretty simple. The first day of session, I raise my hand, I swear an oath. That oath is to God, to uphold the Constitution. And I take both of those very seriously…And when I say that I'm going to uphold it, I'm going to stand strong and do that.”
There’s an increasing divide inside the Republican Party between small-government, pro-liberty Republicans and more establishment-aligned conservatives who prioritize party control, leadership loyalty, and maintaining the existing political structure. But in races like this one, it’s clear that voters preferred a liberty-minded approach. Ferguson believes voters value authenticity and transparency.
“We have too many politicians that are more worried about getting reelected than doing the job they were elected to do,” he said. “And for me, I go to Columbus and I do the things that I say I was going to do. And when I come up short, people still know that I'm fighting with everything I have to try to do the things that I promised them I would work on.”
The race is a test case for whether grassroots liberty conservatives can survive against well-funded establishment opposition inside the GOP. His win proves that grassroots efforts still have game changing power.
“Too many people for years have had that mentality that one vote doesn't make that big of a difference,” Ferguson said. “I'm here to say first and foremost, one vote does.
“But also don't lose sight of just because you only have one vote, it doesn't mean you can't impact hundreds or thousands of other votes–and that's what the grassroots is. The grassroots is about being a force multiplier and changing the minds of 10 people or 100 people in your orbit. And if we have enough of those force multipliers, not just the grassroots, but the grass tops. That's what's going to continue to let Liberty Republicans win.”
He encourages all young activists and first-time candidates to stand strong on principle and not be intimidated by the establishment.
“I would say that the key to success is just to be who you are, to be authentic, to be transparent,” Ferguson said. “And once you've stated your positions, double and triple down on those positions because voters have a lot of grace for somebody they disagree with. As long as they know that on the things they do agree on with you, that you're never going to back down. I mean, that's what they want from the people representing them is people that will stand their ground.”
In Ohio, the Republican establishment spent $1.5 million trying to stop a liberty conservative from winning reelection. Instead, Ron Ferguson’s victory sent a different message: grassroots voters are still willing to fight for candidates who refuse to back down.
Liberty Action is building the grassroots movement helping principled lawmakers fight back — and win. Join the fight here.
