Vivek Ramaswamy Holds Significant Lead in Ohio Gubernatorial Primary Race, Thanks to Trump’s Endorsement

Former Republican presidential candidate and Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy is holding a significant lead in the Republican primary. The 39-year-old Indian American biotech entrepreneur and Trump loyalist is receiving 71% of the primary vote with a 60-point lead against his closest opponent, Jim Tressel. These findings were revealed in a new internal polling conducted by longtime Trump pollster Tony Fabrizio, and reported by Semafor. 

Ramaswamy’s lead “increased dramatically” after President Trump endorsed him in February, Semafor quoted Fabrizio writing about the poll. Fabrizio said Ramaswamy’s lead is in “part due to Trump’s approval, adding that the president’s endorsement has “lent a ton of credence to Ramaswamy’s campaign and put him into a gigantic lead.”

In a Feb. 28 post on Truth Social endorsing Ramaswamy, Trump described him as “something SPECIAL,” calling him “Young, Strong, and Smart!” He said Ramasawmy “is also a very good person, who truly loves our Country, and will be a GREAT Governor of Ohio, will never let you down, and has my COMPLETE AND TOTAL ENDORSEMENT!”

Trump’s endorsement came immediately after Ramaswamy announced his  gubernatorial bid for “a great state at the heart of the greatest nation known to mankind.” He is running to succeed the current term-limited Republican Governor Mike DeWine, a moderate conservative, who has spoken out against Trump in the past. 

Ramaswamy left his post as co-chair of the Department of Government Efficiency or DOGE, alongside Elon Musk, to pursue elected office. Trump had tapped the two billionaires to lead the DOGE shortly after his reelection last year, promising to cut down on federal spending and slash federal jobs that the nongovernmental task force deems unnecessary.

The Associated Press reported at the time that “the timing of Trump’s announcement intrigued Ohio political observers,” noting how the president’s decisions “weigh in on key statewide races have gone from days before the election, to months, to now more than a year.”

As of now, Secretary of State Frank LaRose and Ohio Treasurer Robert Sprague have endorsed Ramaswamy,  apart from Trump. Meanwhile, commenting on Ramaswamy’s lead, The Cincinnati Enquirer called it a new era in Ohio politics. “Until very recently, Ohio politicians had to first cut their teeth at lower levels in order to have a chance of getting elected to a prominent office like governor or U.S. senator,” wrote Mack Mariani, a professor of political science at Xavier University. 

Today, however, “a long record of experience in politics is no longer a necessity to win at the highest levels, and in some cases, it may even be a hindrance,” he continued. This Ohio governor’s race “appears to be following the new rules rather than the old ones,” Marianni continued, explaining that “neither of the leading major party candidates have prior elected experience,” including current Democratic frontrunner is Amy Acton, a first-time candidate who served for 15 months as state health director. 

Ramaswamy suspended his presidential campaign last January and endorsed Trump. Since then, he embraced his role as a Trump surrogate, appearing frequently on cable news shows to defend Trump against his critics. 

Before his DOGE appointment, it seemed that Ramaswamy would at least get a Cabinet position. There were rumors that the person who was once in the shortlist of Trump’s running mate could be considered for the Department of Commerce, Homeland Security, or Health and Human Services, given his background as an entrepreneur and head of a pharmaceutical company. 

While on DOGE, there was speculation that Ramaswamy was among candidates being considered to replace Vice President JD Vance’s U.S. Senate seat. But according to Politico, Gov. Mike DeWine chose Lt. Gov. Jon Husted, instead of Ramaswamy, which “accelerated” his decision to run for Ohio governor.

But at DOGE, Ramaswamy found himself under Musk’s shadow, and although both of them were co-chairs of DOGE, the Tesla CEO  “has a much greater amount of wealth and a higher profile,” The New York Time noted, adding that Musk’s “top lieutenant” Steve Davis” largely runs the projects.”

In addition, Ramaswamy’s remarks on immigration, especially regarding the H1-B visa, didn’t help. He was criticized by several in MAGA circles, and he faced backlash on social media for his support of the visa program over the training and hiring of American workers. He suggested Americans were not being hired because they were mediocre. “Our American culture has venerated mediocrity over excellence for way too long (at least since the 90s and likely longer),” he wrote on X. “That doesn’t start in college, it starts YOUNG.”