Vivek Ramaswamy, a biotech entrepreneur from Cincinnati, who exited the Department of Government Efficiency initiative on President Donald Trump’s first day, was set to announce his candidacy for Ohio governor on Monday.
The 39-year-old is launching his campaign in Cincinnati, entering the 2026 Republican primary just weeks after Jon Husted, the presumed frontrunner and former lieutenant governor, withdrew from the race to accept a U.S. Senate appointment.
Ramaswamy previously ran for the GOP presidential nomination in 2024 before dropping out to endorse Trump. He was later chosen by Trump to co-chair the efficiency initiative alongside billionaire Elon Musk. A near-billionaire himself, Ramaswamy has emphasized his connection to Trump while securing key endorsements and financial backing for his gubernatorial bid, though Trump has yet to formally endorse him.
He joins a competitive Republican primary to replace Governor Mike DeWine, 78, a seasoned center-right politician who is unable to seek re-election due to term limits. Other contenders include Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost and Heather Hill, a Black entrepreneur from Appalachia. On the Democratic side, Dr. Amy Acton, Ohio’s former state health director who played a key role in managing the early COVID-19 response, has also entered the race.
The candidates will compete in a state that was once considered a political bellwether but has leaned reliably Republican in recent years, voting for Trump three times by more than eight percentage points. The GOP currently holds every statewide executive office, a majority on the Ohio Supreme Court, and supermajorities in both legislative chambers.
Ramaswamy, who is Hindu, has reiterated the 10 core beliefs from his presidential campaign—led by “God is real” and “there are two genders”— which he outlined in his 2024 book, Truths: The Future of America First. He first gained political attention with his 2021 book, Woke Inc: Inside Corporate America’s Social Justice Scam, a sharp critique of corporations that he argued use social justice rhetoric to mask self-serving policies.
Rather than following the traditional path to Ohio’s governorship—typically requiring decades of public service—Ramaswamy aims to take a direct business-to-politics approach similar to Trump’s rise.
This strategy has proven successful in Ohio for Vice President JD Vance and U.S. Senator Bernie Moreno, both political outsiders who secured Senate seats with Trump’s endorsement in 2022 and 2024, respectively. However, Ramaswamy’s candidacy will test whether that approach can work in a state-level election.
Governor DeWine opted to appoint Husted to Vance’s vacated Senate seat, citing Husted’s extensive experience in elected office. Husted’s gubernatorial campaign had already attracted significant endorsements and high-profile donors, many of whom are now uncommitted.
Yost entered the race amid speculation about Ramaswamy’s potential bid. Since then, Ohio Treasurer Robert Sprague and Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose have publicly endorsed Ramaswamy.
