Vivek Ramaswamy to launch run for Ohio governor next week
- Ramaswamy will face Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost in the Republican primary, with other potential candidates still emerging.
- Although Ramaswamy has never held elected office in Ohio, he is well-known for his ties to former President Donald Trump and frequent national media appearances.
- Ramaswamy is a graduate of St. Xavier High School, Harvard University, and Yale Law School, and he founded the pharmaceutical research company Roivant Sciences.
- Ramaswamy lives in the Columbus suburb of Upper Arlington.
Former presidential candidate and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy will officially launch his bid for Ohio governor on Feb. 24 in his hometown of Cincinnati.
Last week, Ramaswamy, 39, of Upper Arlington, set up a campaign committee to replace Gov. Mike DeWine, who cannot run for reelection due to term limits.
Ramaswamy's official launch will be next Monday at CTL Aerospace, Inc. followed by a stop at Axium Packaging in New Albany outside of Columbus, the Associated Press first reported. The following day, Ramaswamy will hold kick-off events in Toledo and Strongsville.
The Republican primary to replace DeWine has already shifted multiple times even though the election is more than a year away. Former Lt. Gov. Jon Husted took a U.S. Senate appointment to replace Vice President JD Vance rather than run for governor. Ramaswamy has swept up multiple endorsements from senators and statewide elected officials even before his official launch.
Ramaswamy will face Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost in the Republican primary. Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel, a prominent former Ohio State University football coach, has not ruled out a bid. Former Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Amy Acton is the sole Democrat in the race to date.
Ramaswamy has never run for election in Ohio, but his name is well known for his connections to President Donald Trump and his frequent national television appearances.
After running for president in 2024, Ramaswamy endorsed Trump, becoming a key surrogate. Trump tapped Ramaswamy and billionaire Elon Musk to lead the Department of Government Efficiency or DOGE. Later, Trump encouraged Ramaswamy to consider the Senate seat that ultimately went to Husted.
Ramaswamy was raised in the Cincinnati suburb of Evendale by Indian immigrant parents. His father worked as an engineer at General Electric Aviation and his mother was a geriatric psychiatrist.
A graduate of St. Xavier High School, Harvard and Yale Law School, Ramaswamy founded the pharmaceutical research company Roivant Sciences in 2014. In 2022, he co-founded Strive Assessment Management, a Dublin-based asset management company to compete against firms investing in progressive causes.
Jessie Balmert covers state government and politics for the Paste BN Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.