By David Wright

(CNN) — Vivek Ramaswamy announced Monday evening that he is running for governor of Ohio in 2026, capping a rapid-fire sequence of events in recent weeks that included the former GOP presidential candidate exiting President Donald Trump’s government efficiency effort and being passed over for the US Senate seat vacated by Vice President JD Vance.

“Today, I am honored 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.

The entrance by Ramaswamy comes after Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced his candidacy last month to succeed term-limited Republican Gov. Mike DeWine in a race that could draw other GOP contenders. Former Ohio health director Amy Acton is running for the Democratic nomination. Trump won Ohio by 11 points in November’s election.

Ramaswamy had been tapped by Trump in November to co-lead the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, working alongside tech billionaire Elon Musk. The pair had previewed plans for steep cuts to government spending and regulation.

As Trump’s inauguration neared, Ramaswamy’s future involvement with DOGE became more uncertain. He also courted controversy with social media posts in December criticizing American cultural values, and he clashed with other Trump supporters over visas for highly skilled foreign workers.

The Cincinnati native’s role with DOGE was further muddled as DeWine began deliberating whom to appoint to the US Senate seat ahead of Vance’s swearing-in as vice president.

Ramaswamy’s name came up in discussions surrounding the Senate appointment — despite the fact that he had removed himself from contention in November, saying he was focused on his work with DOGE. Sources told CNN that Trump privately encouraged Ramaswamy to consider the appointment, and Ramaswamy met with DeWine the weekend before the governor made his selection.

DeWine ultimately selected Ohio Lt. Gov. Jon Husted, an ally who had long been seen as a potential successor, avoiding a potential GOP primary fight between Husted and Ramaswamy in the race for governor.

Following the Senate announcement, sources familiar with Ramaswamy’s thinking told CNN he would focus on his efforts with DOGE before launching a bid for governor. But the timeline for a campaign announcement accelerated, leading the Trump administration to confirm Ramaswamy would no longer be involved with DOGE.

“Vivek Ramaswamy played a critical role in helping us create DOGE. He intends to run for elected office soon, which requires him to remain outside of DOGE based on the structure that we announced today. We thank him immensely for his contributions over the last 2 months and expect him to play a vital role in making America great again!” Trump transition spokesperson Anna Kelly said in a statement last month.

In the intervening weeks, Ramaswamy has spent time traveling across Ohio and the country, drumming up excitement for his campaign launch, collecting endorsements from supporters-in-waiting, and sparring on social media while touting the Trump agenda.

Ramaswamy went to a Cleveland Cavaliers basketball game and greeted fans there in early February; days later he attended a comedy show in Columbus. In addition, he traveled to the Super Bowl in New Orleans and the Daytona 500 in West Palm Beach, Florida — both events also attended by Trump.

Meanwhile, the list of Ramaswamy endorsers has grown in anticipation of his formal entry to the race. Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose pre-endorsed Ramaswamy earlier this month, writing on social media, “If he decides to run for governor, he will have my full support.” State Treasurer Robert Sprague and several GOP US senators also voiced support for Ramaswamy, including Utah Sen. Mike Lee, Florida Sen. Rick Scott and Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn.

But despite Husted’s redirection to the Senate and a slate of prominent supporters, Ramaswamy still faces some hurdles in the GOP primary, including Yost’s rival campaign.

In recent weeks, former championship-winning Ohio State University head football coach Jim Tressel, who was appointed by DeWine to take Husted’s place as lieutenant governor, has signaled he is considering entering the gubernatorial race.

Tressel’s entry could set up an intriguing competition with Ramaswamy, pitting a national symbol of the new brand of conservative politics against a soft-spoken state stalwart recently tapped by the outgoing two-term governor.

Ramaswamy’s rise

Ramaswamy is a recent newcomer to politics, having significantly elevated his profile over the course of a long-shot 2024 presidential campaign — his first run for office, though he had considered running for US Senate in Ohio in 2022.

He launched his White House bid in February 2023 as a little-known former biotech executive whose books “Woke, Inc.” and “Nation of Victims” had given him a growing status in right-wing media. Using his personal fortune, estimated to be in the hundreds of millions, Ramaswamy was able to seed his campaign and gain national prominence.

And despite challenging Trump, Ramaswamy assiduously avoided criticizing the former president during the contest, instead praising Trump’s agenda and making a name for himself with a series of confrontational media appearances, anti-establishment messaging and controversial policy proposals.

Ramaswamy also made a splash at the GOP presidential primary debates (which Trump skipped), lacing into his Republican rivals and drawing sharp rebukes from his opponents — including former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who called him “just scum” during one contentious exchange. Their clashes sparked a rivalry that has continued into the new administration; amid the dust-up over Ramaswamy’s comments on American culture and high-skilled immigration last month, Haley responded on social media, “There is nothing wrong with American workers or American culture. All you have to do is look at the border and see how many want what we have.”

Despite his success generating headlines, in January 2024, with Trump’s lead in the primary becoming prohibitive, Ramaswamy suspended his campaign and immediately endorsed the former president. And he turned into an energetic surrogate for the Trump campaign, stumping for the Republican ticket and echoing Trump’s agenda, leading to his DOGE appointment.

Ramaswamy, who is Hindu and the son of Indian immigrants, was raised in Cincinnati. He graduated from Harvard University with a degree in biology before earning a law degree from Yale University.

In 2014, he founded Roivant, the source of the bulk of his fortune. The company targets drugs that large pharmaceutical companies have shelved because they didn’t fit into the company’s business model. Roivant would buy the right to develop those drugs and share the profits with the original company. The “roi” in the company’s names stands for return on investment.

After Roivant, Ramaswamy helped start Strive Asset Management, an investment management firm that earned a reputation for refusing to consider “woke” ideology in investment decisions, including environmental, social and corporate governance factors — positions he frequently pointed to on the trail.

This headline and story have been updated with additional developments.

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