Vivek Ramaswamy speaks on stage on the second day of the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum on July 16, 2024 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
CINCINNATI — Vivek Ramaswamy officially launched his campaign for governor of Ohio on Monday, saying “America is back, and it feels fantastic.”
Ramaswamy, a former 2024 presidential primary candidate and briefly co-head of the Department of Government Efficency, joins a Republican primary that also includes Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost. On the Democratic side, former Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Amy Acton is running.
All four of Ohio’s statewide executive offices are up for election in 2026. For the Republicans, current Ohio Auditor Keith Faber is running for attorney general, current Ohio Treasurer Robert Sprague is running for secretary of state, and current Secretary of State Frank LaRose is running for auditor. Aside from Acton, the only other Democratic candidate to announce is oncologist Bryan Hambley for Ohio Secretary of State.
Speaking to a packed crowd at CTL Aerospace on Monday, Ramaswamy described his vision for Ohio, and how it was connected to a wider reformation of American society that the Trump administration is undertaking.
“It was a fork in the road,” Ramaswamy said about Trump’s reelection in November. “I’m now more optimistic than I have ever been for the future of our country. We’re on the cusp of a new golden age in America right now.”
The location chosen for the announcement — an aerospace company in Butler County — highlighted Ramaswamy’s support for business and manufacturing, two issues he made central to his speech.
“I will lead Ohio to be the top state in the country to start and grow a business,” Ramaswamy said. “I will lead Ohio to be the top state in the country to raise a young family… I will lead Ohio to be the top state in the country to give our kids the toolkit to think of themselves not as victims but as victors in a competitive global economy.”
Since running for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024, Ramawamy has championed slashing “red tape and regulations,” including “deleting” entire government agencies. During an interview with podcaster Lex Friedman, Ramaswamy suggested using Social Security numbers to randomly fire 75% of federal employees. While campaigning for president, Ramaswamy called for eliminating the FBI, Department of Education, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, among other departments. And as leader of DOGE, Ramaswamy floated “large scale firings,” of federal employees to encourage in-person work.
Ramaswamy on Monday evening said he would go after regulation in Ohio.
“We’re gonna shred every excess regulation in this state. For every new regulation that gets on the books under my administration, we will require rescinding at least ten others before that regulation hits the books.”
He also voiced support for work requirements on Medicaid proposed in Ohio, which Ohio is currently seeking permission from the Trump administration to impose. More than 90% of U.S. adults eligible for Medicaid expansion are already working or are exempt from requirements due to disability, being caretakers, or obtaining education, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.
Ramaswamy called the lack of Medicaid work requirements part of a “war on work.”
“It’s not compassion to make somebody more dependent on the government. The compassionate thing to do is to help them achieve their independence from it,” Ramaswamy said.
Ramaswamy also championed the social issues that have become essential conservative talking points.
“Fill that crisis of purpose and meaning in our young people. So many of them hungry to be part of something bigger, hungry for that cause. Hungry for that call of meaning. Hungry for the real thing,” Ramaswamy said. “We got to fill that black hole, that void: individual, family, nation, and god, beats race, gender, sexuality, and climate if we have the courage to actually stand for our own vision.”
Ramaswamy became famous for creating Strive Asset Management, a Columbus-based asset management firm known for its opposition to ESG (Enviornment, Social, and Governance) investment principles. One of Strive’s largest financial backers was billionaire Palantir CEO Peter Thiel, who also supported the business career and U.C. Senate campaign of Vice President JD Vance.
As Ramaswamy spoke of “woke indoctrination,” many Ohio colleges are in the process of eliminating their diversity and inclusion programs in response to Trump’s executive order. Pressure to remove these policies has led to vocal opposition from academics and students alike, including protests on college campuses.
As his speech came to an end, Ramaswamy spoke about uniting the Republican Party.
“We’re going to lead Ohio by winning next years general election,” Ramaswamy said, with a “big tent coalition,” ranging from Reagan Democrats to libertarians and constitutional Republicans.
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