Ohio GOP all-in on Ramaswamy’s gubernatorial run

As the Ohio Republican Party endorses Vivek Ramaswamy to keep the governor’s mansion for the GOP, state Democrats are looking to highlight the controversial endorsement as extreme for Ohio.

The announcement came last Friday, with Ohio Republican Party Chairman Alex Triantafilou making the statement.

“Let it be heard here that we support President Donald Trump, and we support Vivek Ramaswamy for governor,” Triantafilou said.

Trump immediately endorsed Ramaswamy’s candidacy in February, which was seen as too early for some in the state given the billionaire’s lack of political experience and potentially denying voters a choice in the election. But the Ohio GOP followed suit over the weekend, potentially dashing the prospect of a competitive primary election which is scheduled for May 5, 2026.

INTRODUCING: Ohio’s Endorsed Candidate for Governor.@VivekGRamaswamy | @ohiogop pic.twitter.com/GcEdyCdhAK

— Ohio Republican Party (@ohiogop) May 9, 2025

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost (R) is currently Ramaswamy’s main challenger, and his campaign pushed back on the idea of denying Ohioans a choice in a statement to AP News.

“The Attorney General is going to take a few days to consult with key supporters about the path forward,” Yost’s campaign manager Emily Hottinger told AP News. “But the people of Ohio deserve a choice, not a premature coronation of an untested candidate.”

On social media, the Ohio Democratic Party mocked their Republican counterparts for endorsing “endorsing an out-of-touch billionaire who called ohioans ‘lazy and mediocre.'” They also criticized the party making its endorsement a year before the election, saying they were “working for billionaires in back rooms instead of Ohioans.”

the @ohiogop after endorsing an out-of-touch billionaire who called ohioans “lazy and mediocre” pic.twitter.com/rgIqOvNAzE

— Ohio Dems (@OHDems) May 9, 2025

Ramaswamy is a former 2024 presidential candidate and pharmaceutical company CEO who is an avid supporter of Trump. Before Trump took office for his second term in January, Ramaswamy was slated to help Elon Musk run the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). However, the 39-year-old reportedly clashed with Musk behind the scenes before distancing himself from the Trump administration to focus on his gubernatorial bid.

Ramaswamy became a billionaire after garnering significant investments for an Alzheimer’s drug that ultimately failed to produce results.

On the Democratic side, Dr. Amy Acton is the only announced candidate. Acton became nationally recognizable after serving as Gov. Mike DeWine’s (R) cabinet during the start COVID-19 pandemic before being ousted by conservatives.

Other potential candidates include former U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D), who has iterated the Democratic Party’s need to appeal to working class Americans since his loss to the Trump-backed Sen. Bernie Moreno (R) last November. Former U.S. Rep. and Senate candidate Tim Ryan has also expressed interest in a gubernatorial run next year.

By taking back the governor’s mansion, Democrats would be one step closer to ending partisan gerrymandering which has kept Republicans in power in Ohio since the early 2010s. The governor, state auditor, secretary of state and attorney general all have a seat at the table for redrawing maps, and Republicans have controlled those offices every time new maps have been drawn.

Republicans in the state have routinely promised to end the biased practice, but the state GOP misled voters into voting down a constitutional amendment last November which would have helped curb gerrymandering. Triantafilou has publicly acknowledged misleading voters, calling it “not such a bad strategy.”