Businessman Vivek Ramaswamy speaks at the 2024 Republican National Convention at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wis., on July 16, 2024. On Monday, he announced he is running for the governor of Ohio. File Photo by Matt Marton/UPI |
License PhotoFeb. 24 (UPI) — Businessman, former presidential candidate and President Donald Trump ally Vivek Ramaswamy has announced he is running to be the next governor of Ohio.
“President Trump is reviving our conviction in America; we require a leader here at home who will revive our conviction in Ohio, and that is why today I am honored to announce that I am running to be the next governor of a great state at the heart of the greatest nation known to man,” Ramaswamy said during a rally Monday in Cincinnati.
The announcement was long expected. In November, Trump tapped Ramaswamy and Elon Musk to lead the Department of Government Efficiency, but left the position upon the president’s January inauguration amid reports stating that he would seek election to the Ohio mansion.
Not long after Ramaswamy announced his candidacy on Monday, Trump endorsed him.
“I know him well, competed against him and he is something SPECIAL,” Trump said on his Truth Social platform. “He’s Young, Strong and Smart! Vivek is also a very good person, who truly loves our Country. He will be a GREAT Governor of Ohio, will never let you down and has my COMPLETE AND TOTAL ENDORSEMENT!”
Musk, the world’s richest man, also gave Ramaswamy his support.
“Good luck, you have my full endorsement!” Musk said on his X social media platform.
During his speech on Monday, Ramaswamy vowed that under his leadership, Ohio would become the top state in the country for new businesses and raising a family, where children will get “a world-class education in math, reading, writing, critical thinking and physical education.”
“We will lead Ohio to be the top state in the country where we embrace capitalism and meritocracy instead of apologizing for it,” he said. “We will lead Ohio to be the top state in the country that takes a hatchet to red tape, overregulation and bureaucracy.”
A Cincinnati native, Ramaswamy, 39, is a entrepreneur and founder of a biotech company who became known in conservative circles through the publication of his books Woke, Inc. and Nation of Victims.
He has championed culture wars, specifically attacking the so-called woke, and ran for president in the 2024 election, before dropping out and endorsing Trump.
Ramaswamy’s announcement comes a month after Dave Yost, Ohio’s Republican attorney general, announced his candidacy for the state’s governor.
Dr. Amy Acton, a Democrat and the state’s former health director, is also in the race.
The election is scheduled for November 2026.
