Vivek Ramaswamy said he’s preparing to run for governor in his home state Ohio, after dropping out of a project to slash the size of the federal government.
“That’s highly likely what I’m moving towards and taking really serious steps towards looking at,” he said at the iConnections Global Alts conference in Miami Beach on Tuesday.
The biotech entrepreneur and former Republican presidential candidate had been named by President Donald Trump to lead the Department of Government Efficiency alongside billionaire donor Elon Musk. Ramaswamy left that role the same day Trump took office.
“It was my honor to play a role in helping get that off the ground at the federal level,” Ramaswamy said of DOGE at the conference. “Frankly, the same effort is required in each of the 50 states.”
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine recently helped clear a path for Ramaswamy’s run. DeWine, who’s term limited, appointed his lieutenant governor, Jon Husted, to replace Vice President JD Vance in the U.S. Senate. The appointment removed Husted as a potential rival in the 2026 governor’s race.