Former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy declared his candidacy Monday for Ohio’s 2026 gubernatorial election.
After a month of teasing the announcement, the 39-year-old Cincinnati native outlined plans to cut costs, slash regulations and reform schools in the Midwestern state, which are proposals similar to those he helped develop for the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) — the Elon Musk-led initiative he originally planned to co-chair before departing in January. Ramaswamy also detailed plans to foster a new tech sector in Ohio, aiming to attract disillusioned blue-state entrepreneurs who typically relocate to Florida or Texas.
“President Trump is reviving our conviction in America. We require a leader here at home who will revive our conviction in Ohio,” Ramaswamy said. “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 mankind: The state where I was born and raised. The state where Apoorva and I raise our two sons today. A state whose best days are still ahead … I will lead Ohio to be the state of excellence in America.”
I am honored to officially announce my candidacy to serve as the next Governor of Ohio. pic.twitter.com/HFIR3dLspe
— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) February 24, 2025
The biotech entrepreneur will run to succeed Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, who is term-limited. Initial speculation in recent months suggested Ramaswamy might seek the state’s Senate vacancy after Vice President JD Vance left office, with President Donald Trump privately encouraging this move, according to The Washington Post. These rumors ended after DeWine appointed Lt. Gov. Jon Husted in January to fill the seat.
Ohio @govmikedewine announces Lt. Gov. Jon Husted as the replacement for Vice President-elect JD Vance to represent Ohio in the U.S. Senate. pic.twitter.com/lPlvwfk2Hy
— CSPAN (@cspan) January 17, 2025
Ramaswamy first rose to national prominence after launching a 2024 presidential campaign, establishing himself as a key Trump ally by defending him during the Republican primary debates. His momentum faltered after placing fourth in the Iowa caucus in January 2024, prompting him to quickly exit the race and endorse Trump.
Ramaswamy built his fortune after founding biotech company Roivant Sciences in 2014, focusing on acquiring underdeveloped pharmaceuticals — particularly intepirdine, a would-be Alzheimer’s treatment. He stepped down as Roivant CEO in 2021 and published a New York Times bestseller, “Woke, Inc.: Inside Corporate America’s Social Justice Scam” that same year.
He sparked a national debate over the H-1B visa program in December, which critics say undercuts American workers in favor of cheaper foreign labor, when he accused American culture of “venerat[ing] mediocrity over excellence.” Trump seemed to side with Ramaswamy in the discussion, calling H-1B a “great program.”
The reason top tech companies often hire foreign-born & first-generation engineers over “native” Americans isn’t because of an innate American IQ deficit (a lazy & wrong explanation). A key part of it comes down to the c-word: culture. Tough questions demand tough answers & if…
— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) December 26, 2024
“Our American culture has venerated mediocrity over excellence for way too long (at least since the 90s and likely longer),” Ramaswamy wrote. “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.”
Ramaswamy has never held public office.
(Featured Image Media Credit: Screenshot/CNBC)
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