Vivek Ramaswamy launches bid for Ohio governor weeks after quitting DOGE

Tech billionaire and former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, who quit Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) last month, has entered the race for the Ohio governor’s post. However, Ramaswamy, who has cultivated a national profile and has close ties with Trump, will have his task cut out with top Republicans set to put their hat into the ring.

Republican Dave Yost, Ohio’s Attorney General and former state auditor, has already announced his bid for the November 2026 election that is likely to draw other GOP contenders. From the Democrats, former Ohio health director Amy Acton is in the race,

Speaking at a rally in Cincinnati while officially launching his campaign, Ramaswamy, an Ohio native, said, “Today, I am honoured 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.”