Former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy is expected to announce a run for governor in his home state of Ohio by the last week of January, a source close to the multimillionaire biotech entrepreneur told Fox News Digital.
The development in his schedule comes two days after multiple sources confirmed to Fox News that Ramaswamy, who co-hosts with Elon Musk Trump’s president-elect The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiative is likely to launch a gubernatorial campaign “soon”.
“Vivek’s basic plan remains [the] ditto: make DOGE achievements and then announce a run for governor soon,” an Ohio operative familiar with Ramaswamy’s thinking told Fox News on Friday.
Vivek Ramaswamy speaks before former President Trump takes the stage at a campaign rally at Madison Square Garden on October 27, 2024 in New York. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
the Republican governor of Ohio Mike DeWine his mandate is limited and he cannot seek re-election in 2026.
DeWine announced Friday that Lt. Gov. Jon Husted will fill the U.S. Senate seat he has been holding former Senator JD Vance until earlier this month, when the newly elected vice president stepped down ahead of Monday’s inauguration.
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Before the Senate announcement, Husted had planned to run for governor in 2026 to succeed DeWine. Ramaswamy, for his part, has expressed interest in serving in the Senate.
DeWine’s decision to select Husted to fill the Senate vacancy appears to hasten Ramaswamy’s move to launch a gubernatorial race.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announces his nomination of Lt. Gov. Jon Husted, right, to fill the U.S. Senate seat previously held by Vice President-elect JD Vance during a news conference Friday, Jan. 17, 2025, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Julie Carr Smyth)
Ramaswamy, 39, who launched his presidential campaign in February 2023, has seen his stock rise as he rose from long success to become a contender for the Republican nomination.
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Ramaswamy campaigned on what he called an “America First 2.0” agenda and was one of Trump’s biggest supporters in the field of rivals, calling Trump “the most successful president of our century.”
Vivek Ramaswamy supports former President Trump during a campaign rally in Atkinson, New Hampshire on January 16, 2024. (Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images)
He dropped his bid for the White House a year ago after finishing a distant fourth in the Iowa caucuses and quickly endorsed Trump, becoming a top surrogate on the campaign trail.
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Ramaswamy was named along with Musk, the world’s richest person, to head DOGE in an announcement made by Trump in November.
Ohio, once a major general election battleground, has turned red in the past decade as Republicans have dominated statewide elections.
