JUST IN: Vivek Ramaswamy to kick off Ohio gubernatorial campaign Feb 24: report

Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy will be kicking off his 2026 gubernatorial campaign for Ohio on February 24, according to a new report from the Associated Press.

Ramaswamy, who ran for president as a GOP contender in the 2024 election, now wants to run for governor in his state of Ohio. President Donald Trump tapped him to head DOGE with Elon Musk, but he resigned in January.

The 39-year-old biotech entrepreneur will kick off his campaign at Cincinatti's CTL Aerospace Inc. Over the two days following Feb 24, Ramaswamy will make remarks in the areas of Columbus, Toledo, and Clevland.

Ramaswamy enters the race to replace Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, who is term-limited. Lt. Governor Jon Husted was viewed as a contender for governor once DeWine’s time was up, however, Husted was instead appointed by DeWine to fill the Senate seat that was previously held by Vice President JD Vance.

Ramaswamy, though he is seen as an outsider with his recent rise in the presidential election race, has already clinched endorsements of Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose as well as state Treasurer Robert Sprague.

Sprague said in an X post in early February endorsing Ramaswamy, "I believe Vivek Ramaswamy is the leader we need to lead Ohio forward with a bold vision of conversation reform. Should he run for Governor, he will have my full support!"

In addition to his announcement later in February, the AP reported that a source close to Ramaswamy said he is already scheduled to speak at 30 Country Republican dinners in the springtime between March 3 and May 22.

On the Democratic side of the race, former Ohio Health Director Dr. Amy Acton is running for governor.