Former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, a major ally to President Donald Trump, kicked off on Monday his bid for the Ohio governor’s seat. He used Trump’s early initiatives as president, like Department of Government Efficiency cuts, as the backdrop for his own vision for the state of Ohio.
“If we’re all going to be saved as a people it is gonna be because all of us here step up and save ourselves. And that starts with the states,” Ramaswamy said. “President Trump is reviving our conviction in America. We require a leader here at home who will revive our conviction in Ohio.”
Ramaswamy has never held elected office, but he has broad name recognition. He was tapped by Trump to lead DOGE alongside Elon Musk, though he left on Trump’s first day in office — likely to focus on his governor’s bid and amid reported clashes with Elon Musk, Trumpworld and Washington, D.C.’s new leadership.
He made his fortune from various entrepreneurial ventures, many in the biotechnology field, and has in recent years used those funds to help finance a political career for himself, rising to prominence as a conservative celebrity. Much of his appeal during the primary among his supporters was that he was a fresh face to politics.
He launched an unsuccessful bid for president in the 2024 cycle, dropping out after the Iowa caucuses and endorsing Donald Trump. Throughout his campaign he largely agreed with Trump, positioning himself as a supporter rather than a combative alternative and paving the way to be brought into the Trump sphere after his run.
The Ohio race is expected to have a crowded primary. Current Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine is ineligible to run again when his second term ends in January 2027. DeWine has found himself at odds with Trump in the past, including by pushing back on baseless rumors in the closing weeks of the 2024 presidential campaign that Haitian immigrants were eating pets in Springfield, Ohio.
Heather Hill, an entrepreneur and local school board president, and Dave Yost, the state’s current attorney general, will also compete against Ramaswamy in the primary.
Jim Tressel, who was appointed lieutenant governor after Jon Husted left the role to replace JD Vance in the Senate, as well as the U.S. Reps. Mike Carey and Warren Davidson are also considered to be potential contenders for the Republican ticket.
Ramaswamy has already received some key endorsements, including Frank LaRose, the secretary of state who is running to be state auditor, and Kristina Roegner, a state senator running to be treasurer. National figures, such as Sen. Rick Scott, have also started weighing in.
“I spent most of last year working tirelessly to help send Donald Trump back to the White House because it was a fork in the road. It was a fork in throat for the future of the country,” Ramaswamy said, alluding to the “fork in the road” email that the Trump administration sent to federal employees offering them buyouts. “I’m now more optimistic than I’ve ever been for the future of our country.”
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Violet Jira is a NOTUS reporter and an Allbritton Journalism Institute fellow.