Ramaswamy To Leave DOGE Ahead Of Run For Ohio Governor

Vivek Ramaswamy is reportedly quitting his role at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) ahead of an expected run for governor of Ohio.

Ramaswamy, an entrepreneur who unsuccessfully ran for president in 2024, was slated to head DOGE alongside tech magnate Elon Musk. Originally the brainchild of Musk, DOGE is to serve as an outside advisory group to the White House on cutting government waste.

Ramaswamy has yet to make a public announcement about either DOGE or a gubernatorial run, though he plans to announce his bid for Ohio governor next week, according to POLITICO. Last week, Ramaswamy shared a post on X from a parody account floating a Ramaswamy gubernatorial bid, calling it “not a bad idea.”

Note – the below is a parody account.

(Not a bad idea, though) https://t.co/b0V3cSHAsh

— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) January 17, 2025

On Monday, the day of Donald Trump’s inauguration as the 47th president of the United States, Ramaswamy posted a photo of him and Musk, the two heads of DOGE, celebrating “a new dawn.”

A new dawn. ???????? pic.twitter.com/a3Vthjth69

— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) January 20, 2025

The rumors about Ramaswamy’s candidacy come after he met with Ohio Republican Governor Mike DeWine earlier this month about potentially filling Vice President-elect JD Vance’s Senate seat. DeWine passed over Ramaswamy in favor of his lieutenant governor, Jon Husted. Husted’s appointment clears a significant hurdle for Ramaswamy in a potential run for Ohio’s governor.

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DeWine is term-limited and set to leave office in 2027, setting up a competitive Republican primary for his governor’s seat in 2026.

In his press conference announcing his pick to fill Vance’s seat, DeWine predicted that both the Ohio governor’s race and U.S. Senate race, a special election for which is scheduled for 2026, would be competitive.

“I seriously doubt that it will avoid a contentious race for governor,” DeWine said. “Just stay tuned. You’re going to see how many people, you know, say that they’re running in both parties.”

Ramaswamy is a relatively new face to politics and has yet to hold public office. His first attempt was a short-lived presidential bid in the 2024 Republican primary. After suspending his campaign, he endorsed Trump and became an outspoken ally for him to retake the White House.