COLUMBUS, Ohio — Vivek Ramaswamy, the Cincinnati-born biotech entrepreneur who departed the Department of Government Efficiency initiative on President Donald Trump’s first day, was expected to launch his bid for Ohio governor Monday.
Ramaswamy, 39, is about to kick off his marketing campaign in Cincinnati, becoming a member of the 2026 Republican main only a month after presumed frontrunner and then-Lt. Gov. Jon Husted left the running to take a U.S. Senate appointment.
Ramaswamy sought the GOP nomination for president in 2024 earlier than dropping out to again Trump, who later tapped him to co-chair the effectivity initiative with billionaire Elon Musk. A near-billionaire himself, Ramaswamy has promoted his ties to Trump as he traces up key endorsements and donors within the governor’s race, however the president has made no formal endorsement but.
Ramaswamy joins a aggressive GOP main subject to succeed Republican Gov. Mike DeWine, 78, a veteran center-right politician who’s term-limited.
Ohio Legal professional Basic Dave Yost announced a bid for the seat in January and Heather Hill, a Black entrepreneur from Appalachia, is also working. Dr. Amy Acton, the previous state well being director who helped lead Ohio via the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, is running as a Democrat.
They may compete in a former bellwether state that has tacked reliably purple lately, having voted for Trump 3 times by greater than 8 proportion factors. Republicans additionally maintain each statewide govt workplace, a majority on the Ohio Supreme Court docket and supermajorities in each legislative chambers.
Ramaswamy, who’s Hindu, outlined the ten core beliefs featured in his presidential marketing campaign — led by “God is actual” adopted by “there are two genders” — within the 2024 ebook, “Truths: The Way forward for America First.” He first rose to political prominence together with his 2021 ebook, “Woke Inc: Inside Company America’s Social Justice Rip-off,” a scorching critique of companies that he stated use social justice causes as a smokescreen for self-interested insurance policies.
He seeks to buck the normal path to Ohio’s governorship, which runs via in depth authorities service typically stretching many years, and as a substitute mount a Trump-style ascent into the job immediately from the enterprise world.
The method has labored for Vice President JD Vance and U.S. Sen. Bernie Moreno, two political newcomers who gained Senate seats with the assistance of Trump’s endorsement in 2022 and 2024, respectively. However Ramaswamy will check it in a state government-level race for the primary time in current reminiscence.
DeWine handed Ramaswamy over to appoint Husted to the Senate seat vacated by Vance, citing Husted’s many years of elective expertise. The gubernatorial bid by Husted, a former Ohio Home speaker and secretary of state, had locked down many key endorsements and rich donors, who at the moment are largely free brokers.
Yost joined the race as rumors circulated that Ramaswamy was planning a run. Since then, nevertheless, Ohio Treasurer Robert Sprague and Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose have endorsed Ramaswamy.
