Vivek Ramaswamy is leaving DOGE and launching a run for governor of Ohio

WASHINGTON — Vivek Ramaswamy will launch a campaign for governor in Ohio early next week, parting ways with President-elect Donald Trump’s new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), two sources familiar with his plans told NBC News.

Ramaswamy’s interest in seeking office in his home state is no surprise. But his decision to leave DOGE now deprives him of command of a federal spending watchdog group that he was supposed to co-chair with Elon Musk, the billionaire Tesla CEO and owner of X.

“He is leaving DOGE. He will announce his candidacy for governor early next week,” said one of the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss preparations for a campaign that has not yet officially launched. “Over the last week, it has become increasingly clear that pursuing the governor’s race and running DOGE are incompatible. He leaves on good terms with Trump, Elon and the team.”

This morning, Ramaswamy posted a photo of himself with Musk on X and wrote: “A new dawn.”

DOGE is one of the key projects Trump is pushing for his second term after taking office on Monday. Ramaswamy, a wealthy biotech entrepreneur, briefly challenged Trump for the Republican presidential nomination last year before becoming one of his most visible and vocal allies. He had said he would put his political ambitions in Ohio on hold to spearhead the DOGE effort.

At that time, Ramasway himself withdrew from the race to fill the Ohio Senate vacancy vacated by Vice President-elect JD Vance. But Ramaswamy reemerged as a late candidate for the job when he met last week with Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, who ultimately picked Lt. Gov. Jon Husted for the job.

The move quickly upended the state’s race for governor in 2026, as Husted was considered the leading candidate to succeed term-limited Republican DeWine. Two other GOP officials with national name recognition — Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost and state Treasurer Robert Sprague — were already planning their own bids for governor. And Ramaswamy’s signals last week that he would join them only accelerated their preparations.

Ramaswamy mingled with Ohio Republicans at their inaugural ball here Sunday evening. But he left the event conspicuously early, according to three attendees who were granted anonymity to share details of a private event. His performance struck these Republicans as unusually superficial for someone just launching a campaign for governor.

“He can’t be bothered to spend more than 45 minutes with 1,400 of the most influential Republicans in Ohio,” a GOP leader in the state said. “This is next level arrogance.”

A Ramaswamy aide did not respond to a question about his appearance.

On the Democratic side, Amy Acton, a doctor who served as DeWine’s health director in the early days of Covid, has declared her candidacy for governor.