Vivek Ramaswamy grew up in southwest Ohio. However, he spent most of his adult life on the East Coast, first attending Ivy League schools and then establishing a business in New York City.
As he works to become governor of Ohio in 2026, the 39-year-old billionaire intends to spend more time in the state. He promises to visit all 88 counties not only during his campaign, but also annually throughout his term as governor.
“I grew up in Cincinnati, seeing that even the three C’s are different, sometimes in a different set of issues that are on their minds than the rest of the state,” Ramaswamy said in an interview with Signal Statewide late last week. “And if I’m a governor for the state of Ohio, I’m going to be a governor for the whole state of Ohio.”
Ramaswamy has spent years preparing to run for something, sometimes all at once. After failing to win the U.S. Senate race in 2022, he launched an audacious but unsuccessful presidential campaign in 2024.
However, in retrospect, that campaign makes more sense because he emerged with national celebrity, a relationship with President Donald Trump, and the president’s endorsement in his current race, which he appears to be winning much more easily.
That experience has given Ramaswamy an unusual level of political polish for someone who has never held elected office. During this early stage of his campaign, Ramaswamy is sticking to the disciplined talking points he announced at his campaign launch events last month.
Ramaswamy said he began considering running for governor in early last year, shortly after his presidential campaign ended. The concept solidified toward the end of the year, he said, around the time he held a September town hall in Springfield to discuss — to put it succinctly — immigration issues.
“I was pitching several different ideas for what I could do next. This one really stuck with me, and I eventually felt compelled to do it,” Ramaswamy explained.
Since launching his campaign last month, Ramaswamy has visited 20 countries. He’s scheduled keynote speeches at 28 county Republican Party annual fundraiser dinners, which are a must-attend for any state politician.
His only major Republican opponent is Attorney General Dave Yost, and the only Democratic candidate so far is Dr. Amy Acton, the former state health department director.
So far, Ramaswamy’s campaign has focused heavily on advocating for higher public education standards. He claims that both parties have failed to address this issue, but the primary solution he proposes is not particularly novel.
Signal Statewide spoke with Ramaswamy for approximately 15 minutes on Thursday. Here’s an account of that conversation. (Note: The questions and answers have been edited for clarity and brevity.
How do you conceive of Ohio? There are very different communities with different needs, so how do you balance those interests?
We represent a cross section of the country. We have true diversity in Ohio, in terms of experience and perspective, which I believe is fantastic.
So, I believe that pretending to be Texas, Florida, or Silicon Valley is not going to help Ohio become the leading state in the country for raising a family, creating and generating wealth, and providing a world-class education for your children. It will be by being our best selves.
And I want to lead our state in such a way that we are among the best in the Midwest on many of those metrics. I don’t just want to make Ohio one of the best states in the Midwest. I want to lead Ohio to become the best state in the country for economic and educational excellence for our children.
There are things about your life that differ from many average people in Ohio, such as your personal wealth, your religion and your time living out of the state. How will you relate to people with different life experiences than yours?
I am grateful for the American Dream that I have experienced, but I also recognize that my path to the American Dream cannot be the only one. I want us to be a state with multiple paths to success.
I was the child of legal immigrants to this country who came with nothing. My father faced layoffs at the GE plant in Evendale, Ohio. When my mother was working in nursing homes in the southwest part of the state, treating elderly patients, she also worked at the Veterans Administration.
I attended [St. Xavier] in high school and went on to some of our most prestigious universities before moving around the country and deciding we wanted to raise our children here, which led us back.
That, to me, represents a diversity of experiences in my own life that I believe will provide me with the same texture as I believe our state does, as well as the ability to connect with people who have a wide range of experiences and care for each of them equally.
You’ve described Republicans not focusing enough on educational achievement.
I would say “all parties.” I mean this in a bipartisan way. So it wasn’t that Republicans didn’t focus enough; it was that I believe we as Americans haven’t focused enough on educational achievement.
Was that a point you were trying to make in that tweet thread that blew up about Saved by the Bell and all that stuff?
So, I mean, I tweet a lot of things.
But I believe that our educational system is now falling behind other countries, which is a major issue right now.
In the long run, I believe it poses a significant threat to our country’s future leadership positions. And the reality is that the states, not the federal government, must address this issue under our federalist system. As a result, I feel compelled and responsible to make things right.
So I want to instill that culture of excellence in our school system, from the sports fields to the classrooms, the arts, and music, in every domain.
That is something that a good governor can and should do through school choice, which brings more competition to our schools and holds our public schools accountable, while also allowing every parent to send their kids to the best possible school, but also through directly improving the quality of our public schools themselves, through merit-based pay for teachers and administrators in our public schools, getting cell phones out of classrooms to
John Kasich attempted to implement merit pay for years and failed, even though he had a lot of wind at his back at the time. What makes you think the political conditions are right now?
I’m not saying this to criticize any of my predecessors, but to state the obvious: Senate Bill 5 included unions that should not have been touched, as opposed to focusing on impediments to public education.
I also believe that I am a governor from a different generation, who was educated in this state’s schools but has gone on to pursue the American dream with a personal passion and level of prioritization that I believe is important.
I believe public opinion has shifted in our direction, and more parents are recognizing the achievement gap in our schools. So I believe it is a different era. I am a different type of leader, and I believe I will be able to unite the state.
How important is the CHIPS Act to Ohio? I’m sure you saw President Donald Trump called for it to be repealed.
I want Ohio to be on its own terms, to be a leader in future sectors, correct? This includes semiconductors, nuclear energy, biotechnology, Bitcoin, and our defense industrial base.
I believe that many of the man-made obstacles that have accumulated in the state over the years will require a governor willing to cut through a lot of red tape. That is where I believe the real gains are, and I believe it will be a more long-term way of catapulting our state to the forefront than any form of nannyism.
Now, obviously, I want to pursue opportunities in the best way possible for our state. However, my ability to lead our state to excellence will not be dependent on any particular act passed by Congress.
You’ve said you expect the Cleveland Browns stadium financing issue to be resolved by the time you would take office if you’re elected. But philosophically, do you think professional sports stadiums should be publicly funded?
I do have a general pro-liberty vision, which includes removing government red tape and allowing our economy to flourish.
However, I intend to be very pragmatic in how we approach this on a case-by-case basis. So, that is what I would say.
