Republican Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek greets supporters during a watch party at the Spruce St. Sporting sports bar after winning the party’s nomination for Governor on May 5, 2026, in Columbus.
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Vivek Ramaswamy, the billionaire entrepreneur backed by President Donald Trump has won the Republican Party primary to become its candidate for Ohio Governor, defeating an opponent who tormented him with racist propaganda.
Winning 87% of the votes, Mr. Ramaswamy dealt a decisive defeat to Casey Putsch, and in the November general election, will face Democrat Amy Acton, who ran unopposed for her party’s nomination.
Mr. Ramaswamy initially ran against Mr. Trump for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024, but withdrew and backed Mr. Trump.
Mr. Trump appointed him as the co-head with Elon Musk of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to streamline government operations and cut expenses. He had a run of only about a month in that role, with personality clashes with Mr. Musk.
Mr. Ramaswamy then received Trump’s blessings to run for Ohio Governor.
If Mr. Ramaswamy is elected in November, he will be the third Indian American to hold the office after fellow Republicans Bobby Jindal in Louisiana and Nikki Haley in South Carolina.
Ohio has not had a Democrat Governor in 35 years, both its Senators are Republicans, and Mr. Trump carried it with a 12% lead in 2024, giving Mr. Ramaswamy an edge in November.
As a billionaire, he has vast financial resources of his own to throw into the race. However, he will face headwinds from the soaring prices due to the Iran War and Trump’s falling popularity in opinion polls.
Mr. Ramaswamy’s father, Vadakanchery Ganapathy Ramaswamy, was an engineer with General Electric, and his mother is a psychiatrist.
Mr. Ramaswamy’s rival in November, Ms. Acton, is a doctor and a moderate Democrat who was appointed by Republican Governor Mike DeWine as the State Health Director as COVID was emerging as a threat.
The 40-year-old Mr. Ramaswamy has a law degree from Yale University, but went on to build a career as an entrepreneur. After working for a hedge fund, he founded a biotechnology company, Roivant Sciences, and later an asset management company, Strive. According to Forbes, his wealth is now estimated at $2.5 billion.
Published – May 06, 2026 01:05 pm IST
