Ramaswamy in fray for Ohio governor with Trump’s ‘total’ backing
Washington: Vivek Ramaswamy, the biotech billionaire, is running for Governor of Ohio State and he secured US President Donald Trump’s “complete and total endorsement” right away.
“Today, I am honoured to announce that I am running to be the next governor of a great state at the heart of the greatest nation known to mankind — the state where I was born and raised, the state where Apoorva and I raise our two sons today — a state whose best days are still ahead,” Ramaswamy said at a rally in Cincinnati on Monday.
Apoorva is Vivek Ramaswamy’s wife and they have two children.
Shortly after his announcement, President Trump posted his support on his social media platform Truth Social.
“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!”
President Trump’s endorsement matters in the Republican Party and Ramaswamy will benefit from it, but he still has to secure the party’s nomination and then beat his Democratic rival, whoever it is that emerges from the other side.
Ramaswamy shot to public attention as a candidate for the Republican Party’s nomination to run for President but he did not last long in the primaries and quit and endorsed Trump and then became a close ally of the President.
Trump named him co-chair of a Department for Government Efficiency along with Elon Musk. But Ramaswamy opened out shortly.
If Ramaswamy wins, he will be the third US Governor of Indian descent so far.
Bobby Jindal, the two-term Governor of Louisiana, and Nikki Haley, the two-term Governor of South Carolina were the first and second. Both Jindal and Haley are Republicans and Ramaswamy will become the third Republican of Indian descent to head a state administration as Governor.
Although Indian Americans lean heavily in the direction of the Democratic Party, no Democrat of Indian descent has been elected Governor in any of the 50 states yet. This could change, however, if Kamala Harris, the former Vice-President, decides to run for the post in her home state California, which has been speculated about in political circles.
She could technically run for the party’s presidential nomination but losing presidential nominees, which she was in 2024, have not historically found favour with primary voters in either party.