Posted on 01/20/25
| News Source: NBC News
Vivek Ramaswamy will launch a campaign for governor in Ohio early next week and is parting ways with President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, two sources familiar with his plans told NBC News.
Ramaswamy’s interest in seeking office in his home state is not a surprise. But his decision to leave DOGE now removes him from the high command of a federal spending watchdog group that he was supposed to run with Elon Musk, the billionaire Tesla CEO and owner of X.
“He’s leaving DOGE. He’s going to announce early next week for governor,” said one of the sources, who was granted anonymity to discuss preparations for a campaign that has not officially launched. “It became increasingly clear over the last week that pursuing the governor’s race and running DOGE was not compatible. He’s leaving on good terms with Trump, Elon and the team.”
This morning, Ramaswamy posted a photo on X of himself with Musk, writing, "A new dawn."
DOGE is one of the signature projects Trump is pushing for his second term after he is inaugurated 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 that he was putting his Ohio political ambitions on hold to help lead the DOGE effort.
At the time, Ramasway was taking himself out of the running for the appointment to the Senate vacancy in Ohio left by Vice President-elect JD Vance. But Ramaswamy resurfaced as a late contender for that job, meeting last week with Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, who eventually selected Lt. Gov. Jon Husted for the post.