Politics
NEW: Vivek Ramaswamy Planning Run For Office
Vivek Ramaswamy may have missed the boat on becoming Ohio’s next U.S. senator, but that isn’t discouraging him from another run for elected office.
On Friday Ohio became an epicenter of America’s political machinations as Gov. Mike DeWine announced the appointment of Lt. Gov. Jon Husted to fill the Senate seat vacated by Vice President-elect J.D. Vance. Ramaswamy was rumored to be among the top contenders, and DeWine had earlier confirmed the two met to discuss a possible appointment.
The Trump-supporting former presidential candidate won’t be out of the limelight for long, though. Shortly after DeWine’s 1 p.m. announcement, it was reported that Ramaswamy is preparing to jump into the Republican primary to become the Buckeye State’s next governor. DeWine, a Republican, is term-limited.
Two people familiar with Ramaswamy’s planning said the former biotech entrepreneur will announce his bid shortly.
“Vivek’s base plan remains [the] same: to get accomplishments at DOGE and then announce a run for governor shortly,” said an Ohio operative familiar with Ramaswamy’s thinking who spoke on the condition of anonymity to speak freely about the former presidential candidate’s intentions.
Another said Ramaswamy’s announcement is ready to go — now he just needs a campaign. “The statement is drafted. It is ready,” the person said Ramaswamy told them.
Ohio’s gubernatorial election, which takes place in November of 2026, dovetails with Ramaswamy’s work at the new U.S. Department of Government Efficiency, which President-elect Donald Trump has mandated must fulfill its mission by “no later than July 4, 2026,” the Post stated. In December, President-elect Trump tapped Ramaswamy and Elon Musk to co-lead the new department.
Cincinnati native Ramaswamy became a self-made billionaire before plunging headfirst into Republican politics. In 2023, he announced a quixotic bid to wrest the party’s nomination away from its old guard. However, in doing so, he gave ample deference to Trump, at one point calling on his competitors to promise to pardon the former president after he was charged in four separate criminal cases.
His unmatched ability to project a contrast from Trump while currying favor with him made Ramaswamy a darling of the MAGA movement and propelled him to become a key player in the second Trump administration.
On Wednesday CNN reported that DeWine had still not yet finalized an appointment to the Senate. President-elect Trump then called Ramaswamy to privately offer him encouragement if he wanted the post.
According to those familiar with the discussion, Ramaswamy thanked the president but said he has his heart set on seeing through the mission of DOGE before running to be Ohio’s next chief executive. He withdrew his name from consideration for the Senate in November, saying at the time he was “withdrawing myself from consideration for the pending Senate appointment in Ohio,” vowing to “help” whomever DeWine appointed to fulfill a conservative agenda in the upper chamber.
