Don Kissick is a Libertarian politician and U.S. Navy veteran who lives in Ottawa, in Putnam County in northwestern Ohio. He served six years in the Navy as a fire controlman, including deployments to the Middle East during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm and Operation Southern Watch. He attended Ferris State University in Michigan, moved to Ohio in 2007 and settled in Ottawa in 2014. He worked as a production associate at Honda of America Manufacturing and as a county development coordinator for the Libertarian Party of Ohio. He was the Libertarian nominee for Ohio's 5th Congressional District in 2018, for the U.S. Senate in 2024 and for governor in 2026. Democrat Amy Acton won the governor's race on November 3, 2026.
Libertarian candidate for Ohio governor (2026)Also known as Donald C. Kissick, Donald KissickWebsite (opens in a new tab)
We have documented 3 statements by Don Kissick, in 2 cases. Each statement below gives the quotation, its original source and a link to the full case.
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Role at the time: Libertarian nominee for Ohio governor
Condemned
Statement summary
At a press conference in Ottawa, Ohio, Kissick said the ad turned Acton's childhood trauma into a political weapon and called it a profound failure of judgment. He asked Ramaswamy to withdraw, stop airing the ad and apologize to Acton and her family.
“I believe this conduct falls far short of the standard Ohioans should expect from a governor. I believe it demonstrates a profound failure of judgment. And, I believe that a person seeking to lead all Ohioans must understand that some things matter more than winning an election. Therefore, today, I am publicly calling on Vivek Ramaswamy to withdraw from the race for Governor of Ohio.”
Read the original text (opens in a new tab)Transcript of Don Kissick's October 21, 2026 press conference in Ottawa, OhioSections headed My Call to Vivek Ramaswamy and The Debate Ohio Deserves
Why we used this label
Kissick rejects the campaign's decision to produce and air the ad, calls it a failure of judgment and asks Ramaswamy to leave the race. That condemns the conduct the case tracks.
Role at the time: Libertarian nominee for Ohio governor, posting on X
Condemned
Statement summary
Kissick, the Libertarian nominee for Ohio governor, wrote that using a person's history of abuse against them and then gaslighting about it reflects an abusive personality, and named Ramaswamy and the Ohio Republican Party.
“You don't weaponize someone's personal history of being a victim of abuse against them — and then shift gears and gaslight everyone about the situation — unless you, yourself, have an abusive personality. That is Vivek Ramaswamy and the Ohio Republican Party.”
Relative to the Ramaswamy campaign's use of Acton's estranged mother in an attack ad, Kissick criticizes turning Acton's history of abuse against her and attributes that conduct to Ramaswamy and the Ohio Republican Party.
Role at the time: Libertarian nominee for Ohio governor
Mixed or conditional
Statement summary
Kissick's campaign says Ohio should not routinely track drivers through license-plate cameras. It pledges to seek restrictions or a prohibition on government use and to prevent state funding for mass-surveillance networks.
“Ohioans should not have their movements routinely tracked, photographed, and stored simply for driving on public roads.”
The platform rejects routine driver tracking and government-funded mass-surveillance networks. It leaves open whether the legislative result would restrict or prohibit all government ALPR use.
Ramaswamy's campaign defends an ad in which Amy Acton's estranged mother calls her a liar. Acton says Ramaswamy took advantage of her mother. Critics from both parties condemn the tactic, while Laura Loomer defends it.
Networked automated license-plate cameras can assemble searchable records of vehicle movements. Candidates and officials disagree over whether to ban the systems, keep them with limits, or defend them as investigative tools. This tracker separates outright bans from narrower restrictions.
