CINCINNATI—Vivek Ramaswamy, the Cincinnati-born biotech entrepreneur who ran for president last year before leaving the race and supporting President Donald Trump, has launched a bid for Ohio governor.
His announcement on Feb. 24 had been anticipated for several weeks since the 39-year-old Ramaswamy left his role with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) on the first day of Trump’s new term.
The Ohio native, who now lives in suburban Columbus, kicked off his candidacy at CTL Aerospace amid a crowd holding “Vivek for Ohio” signs. Many attendees wore pro-Trump and pro-DOGE apparel.
Born to Indian parents, Ramaswamy earned degrees at Harvard University and Yale Law School before he gained success as an investment partner for hedge fund QVT Financial, founded Roivant Sciences, and co-founded his own investment firm, Strive Asset Management.
He first rose to national prominence with his 2021 book “Woke Inc: Inside Corporate America’s Social Justice Scam.”
During his presidential campaign, Ramaswamy outlined 10 core beliefs, led by “God is real,” followed by “there are two genders,” in his 2024 book ”Truths: The Future of America First.”
Ramaswamy has vowed to be a pro-business governor and referenced how, in the early 1900s, Ohio boasted some of the wealthiest cities in the country because of industry.
He said Ohio will lead the nation’s second industrial revolution in the “sectors of the future.”
Ramaswamy also vowed to “break down income tax to zero.”
“It is your money, not the government’s,” he said.
Ramaswamy also said that he will drive down property taxes.
“It’s your land, not a lease from the government,” he said.
Reattaching work requirements to Medicaid and welfare will be another objective, Ramaswamy promised. He said this will help Ohioans “achieve independence.”
Ramaswamy said he would bolster Ohio’s education for students and that he would support homeschooling along with public, private, and charter schools.
“Ohio will be the first state in the nation that implements merit-based pay for every teacher, principal, and superintendent,” he said.
Ramaswamy joins a Republican gubernatorial primary field that includes Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost and southern Ohio entrepreneur Heather Hill.
Dr. Amy Acton, who served as Ohio’s public health director during the COVID-19 pandemic, is running as a Democrat.
Ohio is a state that Trump decisively won in 2016, 2020, and 2024. Republicans have a supermajority in the state Legislature.
Speculation from some Republican strategists is mounting that former Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel will eventually announce his candidacy to replace Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican who cannot run again because of term limits.
Earlier this month, DeWine appointed Tressel as lieutenant governor to replace Jon Husted, who was tapped by DeWine to fill JD Vance’s vacant U.S. Senate seat.
At the news conference announcing his new role, Tressel was asked by reporters if he would run for governor.
“I haven’t given any thought against it but I haven’t given any thought to it either,” Tressel, who also served as president of Youngstown State University in northeast Ohio, said. “I have been focused on what the governor would like me to learn and what the governor would like me to do.”
Randall Porter said he drove an hour from his home in Centerville, Ohio, to hear Ramaswamy speak. He told The Epoch Times that it was his first appearance at a political rally.
“I became familiar with him when he ran for president and liked a lot of what he said. He seems more like a libertarian in some of his views, which is right up my alley,” Porter said. “We have some problems in this state that need solutions. I’m curious about what his platform will be.”
Pointing to the stage before Ramaswamy made his announcement, Porter said he believes that DeWine’s appointment of Tressel was a “strategic move to make sure [Ramaswamy] does not sit in the governor’s chair.”
If Tressel decides to run for governor, he will represent the faction of the Ohio Republican party that’s not as supportive of Trump as of Ramaswamy, Porter said.
“DeWine has shown he’s not a fan of Donald Trump, and likely, Ramaswamy will get Trump’s endorsement,” Porter said. “[DeWine] would rather have someone who thinks like he does than see one of Trump’s lead this state.”
Citing popular TV shows, Ramaswamy said: “That doesn’t start in college, it starts young. A culture that celebrates the prom queen over the math olympiad champ, or the jock over the valedictorian, will not produce the best engineers.”
Yost released a statement minutes after Ramaswamy announced his bid.
When Ramaswamy stepped down from DOGE, a spokesperson for the commission praised him for playing “a critical role in helping us create DOGE.”
“He intends to run for elected office soon, which requires him to remain outside of DOGE, based on the structure that we announced today,” White House deputy press secretary Anna Kelly said in a statement. “We thank him immensely for his contributions over the last two months and expect him to play a vital role in making America great again.”
In social media posts, Trump has encouraged Ramaswamy to run for Ohio governor. Ohio Republicans State Treasurer Robert Sprague and Secretary of State Frank LaRose have endorsed Ramaswamy.
