Vivek Ramaswamy Officially Launches His Campaign

Yesterday, Vivek Ramaswamy teased having a “big announcement” to make today (Monday).

Here was his official post to X on Sunday:

Big announcement tomorrow, starting in the heart of America: Butler County. pic.twitter.com/BpmyRyBt33

— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) February 24, 2025

The “big announcement” hasn’t been a very well kept secret….Vivek is officially running for Governor of Ohio!

News began to leak out all weekend long:

🚨 JUST IN: Vivek Ramaswamy is officially jumping into the race to become Ohio’s next Governor, running on a promise to implement DOGE-style reforms across the state of Ohio.https://t.co/fNVmvh8qDx

— Proud Elephant 🇺🇸🦅 (@ProudElephantUS) February 24, 2025

Launching the VivekForOhio.com website really let the cat out of the bag….

Here’s what the homepage looks like:

VivekForOhio lists the following as Vivek’s vision for the state:

There’s a new Industrial Revolution underway around the world right now, and I believe deep in my bones that we can lead the way again.

I want Ohio to become the leading state in the country to grow a business; the leading state in the country to raise a young family; the leading state in the country for kids to get a world-class education, starting from a young age, where they excel in math, reading, writing, and critical thinking; the leading state in the country where we give young people the tools to be victors (not victims) in a global economy; the leading state in the country where we embrace capitalism and meritocracy, instead of apologizing for it; the state where we take a hatchet to red tape and regulations; the bleeding-edge of innovation in the sectors of the future, from aerospace to AI to semiconductors; the state where patriots across the country pack their bags to flock to, instead of Florida and Texas; I want Ohio to become the STATE OF EXCELLENCE.

That’s where I’m going to lead our state, and you can take that to the bank as a modern-day Northwest Ordinance. We’re a conservative state, and it’s time for us to finally be governed like one.

And also this in “Fighting for the Truth“:

I believe in merit and the rule of law, I believe the people we ELECT to run the government ought to be the ones who actually run the government, and I believe we stand for TRUTH, and we can speak the TRUTH without fear of retaliation from the government.

God is real.

There are two genders.

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Fossil fuels are a requirement for human flourishing.

Reverse racism is racism.

An open border is not a border.

Parents determine the education of their children.

The nuclear family isn’t a bad word, it is the greatest form of governance known to mankind.

Capitalism is the best system known to man to lift us up from poverty.

There are three branches of government, not four.

The U.S. Constitution is the strongest and greatest guarantor of freedom in human history.

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Hard to disagree with anything on that list!

Well said Vivek!

Vivek tells NBC News that while he plans to trim the fat in Ohio, he has a vision for Ohio that is “more expansive” than just “DOGE for Ohio”:

Biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, who will declare his candidacy for governor of Ohio on Monday, wants to reshape public schools, cut regulations and slash spending.

It’s a disruptive agenda that sounds a lot like the one that Ramaswamy helped draw up for President Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.

But in an interview with NBC News ahead of his campaign launch, the former Republican presidential contender hesitated when confronted with that observation.

“There are a lot of people sort of eager to sort of make that analogy and characterization,” Ramaswamy said. “But I think I characterize my vision for Ohio expansively.”

Divorcing DOGE from Ramaswamy’s bid for governor is nevertheless a tricky exercise. Ramaswamy, 39, had been expected to execute the Trump administration’s cost-cutting initiative alongside billionaire tech mogul Elon Musk. He said his decision to step aside before DOGE was officially up and running reflected a realization that the job would prevent him from campaigning and a belief that he could be more useful to the cause back home in Ohio.

“President Trump, Elon and I had a great relationship but talked about exactly where each of us was going to drive maximum change for the country,” Ramaswamy said. “And, for me, I believe that leading from the front here in Ohio and setting an example for the rest of the country and, frankly, even bringing some of the principles of efficiency and spending and deregulation to our state would be the way that I as a leader would be able to have the biggest impact.”

Ramaswamy’s association with DOGE, and the Trump administration’s overall push to reorient federal government and slash spending, could help position him as a change agent even as he runs to extend 16 years of GOP control in Ohio.

It could also be a liability. Ohio has a sizable number of federal employees, and there are concerns in the state about the future of federal Medicaid funding. In a recent CNN poll, 51% of respondents said they believe Trump has gone “too far” in cutting federal programs. (Another 32% said Trump has “been about right” and 17% said he has “not gone far enough.”)

“I think the way we’re going to do it in Ohio, the way we’re going to run the state, is going to be, I believe, wildly popular with everyone who is a parent and has skin in the game for the next generation,” Ramaswamy said when asked if he worried about political fallout.

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Ramaswamy filed paperwork earlier this month to begin raising money for the race and is expected to kick off a statewide announcement tour Monday night in Cincinnati. His long-anticipated campaign has shaken up the GOP field in the Buckeye State, where Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, is barred from seeking a third consecutive term.

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost entered the race earlier than expected, in mid-January, following the first round of buzz about a Ramaswamy campaign. State Treasurer Robert Sprague, who had been preparing to run and initially signaled that Ramaswamy’s plans would not affect his own, threw his support to Ramaswamy this month and instead launched a bid for Ohio secretary of state.

Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel, the former Ohio State football coach whom DeWine recently picked to be his deputy, has also stoked speculation that he might seek the GOP nomination and has not ruled out the possibility.