Vivek Ramaswamy Set To Enter Ohio Governor Race, Month After Quitting DOGE

Biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, who left President Donald Trump's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) last month, is expected to declare his candidacy for governor of Ohio on Monday. The 39-year-old will kick off his closely watched campaign in Cincinnati at 3.30 pm ET on Monday (2 am IST on Tuesday), with subsequent events planned in Columbus, Toledo, and Cleveland, according to a report by the Associated Press.

Ramaswamy is joining the 2026 Republican primary just a month after presumed frontrunner and then-Lt. Governor Jon Husted left the running to take a US Senate appointment. If voted to power, he will succeed Republican Governor Mike DeWine, 78, a veteran center-right politician who is term-limited.

Ramaswamy sought the GOP nomination for president in 2024 before dropping out to back Trump, who later tapped him to co-chair the efficiency initiative with billionaire Elon Musk. A near-billionaire himself, Ramaswamy has promoted his ties to Trump as he lines up key endorsements and donors in the governor's race, but the president has made no formal endorsement yet.

The millionaire's entry into the race adds to a competitive Republican primary field that includes Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost and Heather Hill, a former member of the state's Martin Luther King Jr Commission. On the Democratic side, Dr Amy Acton, former Ohio Department of Health Director, has declared her candidacy.

About Vivek Ramaswamy and Exit From DOGE

Born to Indian parents in Cincinnati, Ramaswamy studied at Harvard University and then Yale Law School. He made millions at the intersection of hedge funds and pharmaceutical research.

An Indian American Hindu, Ramaswamy first rose to political prominence with his 2021 book, "Woke Inc: Inside Corporate America's Social Justice Scam," a scorching critique of corporations that he said use social justice causes as a smokescreen for self-interested policies. He outlined the 10 core beliefs featured in his presidential campaign - led by "God is real" followed by "there are two genders" - in the 2024 book, "Truths: The Future of America First." 

Ramaswamy announced he will no longer be a part of the DOGE hours after Donald Trump took oath as the 47th President of the United States. At the time he signalled his plans to run for the governor of Ohio.

Seeking to buck the traditional route to Ohio's governorship, which runs through extensive government service often stretching decades, Ramaswamy is mounting a Trump-style ascent into the job directly from the business world.

The formula has worked for Vice President JD Vance and U.S. Sen. Bernie Moreno, two political newcomers who won Senate seats with the help of Trump's endorsement in 2022 and 2024, respectively. But Ramaswamy will test it in a state government-level race for the first time in recent memory.