Vivek Ramaswamy, a prominent figure in the establishment of the groundbreaking Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), officially parted ways with the initiative on Monday.
“It was my honor to help support the creation of DOGE,” Ramaswamy said in a post on X. “I’m confident that Elon & team will succeed in streamlining government.”
Ramaswamy, previously tapped by Trump to co-lead DOGE alongside entrepreneur and tech mogul Elon Musk, is now reportedly setting his sights on a gubernatorial run in Ohio. According to a source on the presidential transition team, who spoke anonymously to German-owned Politico, he plans to officially launch his campaign for Ohio governor as soon as next week.
Meanwhile, on the record, spokesperson Anna Kelly told the Associated Press in a statement that 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,” Kelley said.
Ramaswamy is an Ohio native who carved out a successful career at the intersection of hedge funds and pharmaceuticals. The 39-year-old former presidential candidate caught the attention of then-candidate Trump when he completed “the full Grassley” twice in Iowa.
Fox News noted, “Ramaswamy campaigned on what he called an ‘America First 2.0’ agenda and was one of Trump’s biggest supporters in the field of rivals, calling Trump the “most successful president in our century.”
After finishing in fourth place in the critical Iowa Caucus, Ramaswamy dropped out of the presidential, endorsed Trump, and joined the campaign trail as one of his top surrogates.
Once a key swing state, Ohio voters have supported Republicans over past handful of election cycles. Donald Trump bested his Democrat opponent in all three of his campaigns for the White House by double-digits. Most recently, long time Democratic US Senator Sherrod Brown was defeated by businessman and political newcomer Bernie Moreno.
“I’ll have more to say very soon about my future plans in Ohio. Most importantly, we’re all-in to help President Trump make America great again!” Ramaswamy said.
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Christina Botteri is the Executive Editor of The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow her on X at @christinakb.
Photo “A New Dawn” by Vivek Ramaswamy.
