CLEVELAND — Vivek Ramaswamy’s move this week toward a run for governor of Ohio did not clear or freeze the Republican field the way someone so closely and visibly aligned with President-elect Donald Trump ordinarily might.
The biotech entrepreneur — whose work leading Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency alongside billionaire Elon Musk has yet to officially begin — is expected to launch a campaign soon, two sources with direct knowledge of his plans told NBC News.
“Vivek’s base plan remains [the] same: to get accomplishments at DOGE and then announce a run for governor shortly,” an Ohio operative familiar with his thinking wrote in a text message.
Ramaswamy’s path was, in theory, eased Friday when Gov. Mike DeWine appointed Lt. Gov. Jon Husted, another Republican eyeing the governorship, to the Senate seat recently vacated by Vice President-elect JD Vance. But at least two other GOP officeholders with statewide name recognition — Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost and state Treasurer Robert Sprague — were already preparing their own campaigns for governor to succeed the term-limited DeWine.
After Husted’s appointment Friday, and amid the subsequent buzz surrounding Ramaswamy, Yost and Sprague signaled that their plans not only have not changed, but that they have intensified.
Yost’s team confirmed he has recruited Justin Clark, a veteran of Trump’s campaigns and his first administration, to be the general consultant for his soon-to-launch bid for governor.
“Justin is nationally recognized for winning some of the most hotly contested races in the country,” said Amy Natoce, a Yost spokesperson and senior adviser. “As a longtime adviser to President Trump, he knows what it means to work with conservative America First candidates like Dave Yost. His experience is invaluable and we’re thrilled to have him on our team.”
Yost on Friday night also blasted out a text message to his followers promoting his trip to Washington, D.C., for Trump’s inauguration.
“As your next governor, I’ll work with President Trump to advance his America first agenda,” Yost wrote. “Look out for a special announcement soon about my candidacy for governor!”
Sprague, meanwhile, filed paperwork Friday with the Ohio secretary of state that specified he plans to seek the governorship — a move that a spokesperson confirmed was a prelude to an official announcement.
“I’ll keep fighting to reform a broken system, protect our freedoms, and make Ohio the Midwest’s economic powerhouse,” Sprague posted on X. “The people of this state deserve bold, proven leadership, and I look forward to sharing my vision for Ohio in the weeks ahead.”
While Yost and Sprague aren’t backing down, one veteran Ohio Republican strategist who has worked on gubernatorial campaigns there said Ramaswamy’s personal wealth and well-established ties to Trump could make him hard to beat — even against known electoral quantities.
“Vivek’s blank check and appeal to conservatives that he has built puts him in the pole position,” said the strategist, who was granted anonymity to share candid observations about an unsettled field in which Trump could wield enormous influence.
Husted had figured to be a leading candidate for governor and long had ambitions for the job after two terms as DeWine’s lieutenant governor, two terms as Ohio secretary of state and his earlier work as state House speaker. But DeWine, aware of a potentially bruising GOP primary brewing for his close ally, tapped him to fill the vacancy left by Vance.
Ramaswamy, who lives near Columbus and briefly challenged Trump for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, has a friendly relationship with Husted. He served on the board of InnovateOhio, a state government effort that Husted founded as lieutenant governor.
It’s not clear if or when Ramaswamy must step away from the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, before launching a campaign for governor. Trump has said that DOGE will not operate as an official federal agency, meaning that Musk and Ramaswamy could potentially continue to engage in their outside business and political interests.
Husted said Friday in an interview with NBC News that he would wait to see who runs for governor before deciding if he will endorse in the race. He noted that he has “had a long, good relationship with Vivek.”
“I look forward to hearing what his plans are,” Husted added.
A Democrat has not been elected governor of Ohio since 2006. DeWine beat Democrat Nan Whaley, then the mayor of Dayton, by 25 points in his 2022 re-election campaign, and Trump has won the state by comfortable margins three times.
Dr. Amy Acton, a Democrat and physician who gained prominence in the early days of the pandemic as DeWine’s highly visible health director, declared her candidacy for governor earlier this month.
“I’m running for Governor because I refuse to look away from Ohioans who are struggling,” Acton said in a statement issued by her campaign after the Husted and Ramaswamy news. “Ohioans need a Governor who will solve problems and give us all a little breathing room, not another self-interested politician.”
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