Columbus, Ohio - There’s a feeling you get watching someone step into something that might be bigger than them — and not flinch.
Vivek Ramaswamy’s campaign for governor of Ohio feels like that kind of moment. The 38-year-old entrepreneur, author, and sharp-tongued political outsider has already made waves on the national stage. Now he’s returned to the state he was born and raised in, offering a plan that goes beyond catchphrases or managerial tweaks. It’s something larger, clearer, and harder to ignore.
He calls himself a "small-government crusader." He’s traded the national stage for county fairgrounds and town halls. Not because he’s retreating from the spotlight, but because he’s drawing a new one — directly onto Ohio.
This isn’t a symbolic campaign. It’s not a dry run. It’s a serious offer to reshape how a conservative state governs itself in an era where nearly everyone seems to have given up on change.
Ramaswamy’s rise in politics hasn’t followed any of the standard routes. Born in Cincinnati to Indian immigrant parents, he built a name in biotech, then in finance, and later as the co-founder of Strive Asset Management — a direct challenge to what he called "woke capital." His best-selling book, Woke, Inc., wasn’t just a hit in bookstores; it launched him into the thick of America’s cultural conversation.
He entered the 2024 Republican primaries and quickly became a standout voice: combative, articulate, and unapologetically aligned with America-first ideas. After endorsing Donald Trump post-Iowa, he was briefly tapped to help lead a proposed Department of Government Efficiency. That role was short-lived, but the alignment remained clear.
Now, with Trump’s support (and Elon Musk’s backing too), Ramaswamy is making his next move.
Here’s what he says:
“There’s a new Industrial Revolution underway around the world right now, and I believe deep in my bones that we can lead the way again.
I want Ohio to become the leading state in the country to grow a business; the leading state in the country to raise a young family; the leading state in the country for kids to get a world-class education... the bleeding-edge of innovation in the sectors of the future, from aerospace to AI to semiconductors; the state where patriots across the country pack their bags to flock to, instead of Florida and Texas.
I want Ohio to become the STATE OF EXCELLENCE.”
It’s not a list of promises. It’s a philosophy of governance — one rooted in energy, clarity, and the rejection of bureaucracy for bureaucracy’s sake.
Where many campaigns keep things vague, Ramaswamy goes direct. These are his major proposals:
None of these proposals are designed to please everyone. That’s not the goal. The goal is to challenge the inertia that Ramaswamy believes has settled into both political parties and the state itself.
Ramaswamy doesn’t pander. He doesn’t apologize for being young, ambitious, or direct. He speaks in paragraphs, not slogans, and he leans into friction instead of avoiding it.
He openly cites Argentina’s Javier Milei as an inspiration: a leader who convinced his country to accept short-term hardship in exchange for long-term revival. Ramaswamy seems to be asking: Can that kind of clarity fly in America?
Especially here, in a state like Ohio?
Ramaswamy is betting that Ohio is ready.
Ready to do more than coast. Ready to take bold action. Ready to govern like the conservative state it claims to be. Ready to become, in his words, the State of Excellence.
His policies will be debated. His style will provoke. His rise will be watched.
But here’s what’s undeniable: he’s offering something real.
Whether Ohio says yes? That’s up to them.
