Vivek Ramaswamy officially announces 2026 Ohio gubernatorial bid

03/01/2025 / By Laura Harris

Entrepreneur and conservative commentator Vivek Ramaswamy has officially entered the 2026 Ohio governor’s race, emphasizing education reform, economic growth and state innovation.
He supports Ohio’s universal school choice, proposes performance-based teacher salaries, advocates for a school phone ban and wants a mandatory civics test for graduation.
Ramaswamy aims to invest in emerging industries like semiconductors, nuclear energy, biotech and Bitcoin while phasing out Ohio’s state income tax.
Both President Donald Trump and Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) chief Elon Musk have publicly endorsed Ramaswamy, praising his leadership and vision for Ohio.
Ramaswamy previously ran in the 2024 Republican presidential primaries, endorsed Trump and co-led DOGE before stepping down to run for governor.

Entrepreneur and conservative commentator Vivek Ramaswamy has officially announced that he would enter the 2026 Ohio gubernatorial race.

In a speech at the CTL Aerospace in Cincinnati on Feb. 24, the 39-year-old candidate emphasized his commitment to transforming Ohio into “the state of excellence in America” by focusing on education reform, economic development and state-level innovation.

Ramaswamy vowed to uphold Ohio’s universal school choice system while ensuring that public schools remain competitive. “I’ll take Ohio to the next level on school choice,” he stated. “But we also need to equip our public schools to actually compete.”

He proposed tying public school teachers’ salaries to performance to attract top talent to Ohio’s classrooms. “The best teachers are, I believe, significantly under-compensated,” he said. “But we’re not attracting the very best anymore because there’s no meritocracy in compensation.” He also proposed a ban on cell phones in schools, citing research that suggests it would help close the achievement gap. Meanwhile, he aims to implement a civics test as a graduation requirement to combat what he sees as a decline in patriotism among young Americans.

Aside from his vision for education, Ramaswamy also laid out his economic vision for Ohio. During the speech, he advocated for investment in emerging industries such as semiconductor production, nuclear energy, biotech and Bitcoin. He also envisioned Ohio as a major player in the next wave of industrial innovation.

One of his economic policies includes phasing out Ohio’s state income tax, which he suggested could eventually be brought down to zero.

In line with this, Ramaswamy assured the public during his speech that he is committed to Ohio’s youth and future generations, asserting that his policies are designed with long-term prosperity in mind. “The decisions we make are going to fall on the shoulders of the next generation. I think it’s essential to make sure that the kind of people who lead us to the future are those who have skin in the game.”

Trump and Musk endorse Ramaswamy as Ohio governor

During the 2024 presidential primaries, Ramaswamy exited the race and endorsed President Donald Trump.

Later, Trump appointed Ramaswamy to co-lead the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) alongside Elon Musk. However, he stepped down on January 20 after hinting at a potential run for Ohio governor. (Related: Trump taps Musk, Ramaswamy to lead Department of Government Efficiency that will focus on reducing government spending.)

Now, both Trump and Musk endorsed Ramaswamy for his gubernatorial bid.

“VIVEK RAMASWAMY is running for Governor of the Great State of Ohio. I know him well, competed against him and he is something SPECIAL. He’s Young, Strong and Smart! Vivek is also a very good person, who truly loves our Country. He will be a GREAT Governor of Ohio, will never let you down and has my COMPLETE AND TOTAL ENDORSEMENT!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform shortly after Ramaswamy announced his bid.

Musk echoed this statement on X: “Good luck, you have my full endorsement!”

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Watch this Nov. 9 episode of “The Tucker Carlson Show” as Carlson interviews Vivek Ramaswamy regarding what a second Trump administration means for the future of America’s bloated government bureaucracy.

This video is from the Sanivan channel on Brighteon.com.