Vivek Ramaswamy’s interest in running for Ohio governor isn’t scaring other Republicans away

CLEVELAND – Vivek Ramaswamy’s move this week to run for governor of Ohio didn’t clear or freeze the Republican field, as someone so closely and visibly aligned with President-elect Donald Trump tends to do.

The biotech entrepreneur — whose job running Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency alongside billionaire Elon Musk has yet to officially begin — is expected to launch a campaign soon, two sources with direct knowledge of his plans told NBC News.

“Vivek’s basic plan remains (the) same: to get results at DOGE and then announce a run for governor before long,” an Ohio staffer familiar with his thinking wrote in a text message.

Ramaswamy’s path was theoretically eased Friday when Gov. Mike DeWine appointed Lt. Gov. Jon Husted, another Republican eyeing the governorship, to the Senate seat recently vacated by Vice President-elect JD Vance. But at least two other GOP incumbents with statewide name recognition — Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost and State Treasurer Robert Sprague — were already preparing their own campaigns for the governor to succeed the term-limited DeWine.

After Husted’s appointment on Friday, and amid the ensuing buzz surrounding Ramaswamy, Yost and Sprague signaled that their plans have not only not changed, but that they have intensified.

Yost’s team confirmed that he has recruited Justin Clark, a veteran of Trump’s campaigns and his first administration, to be general counsel for his soon-to-be-launched bid for governor.

“Justin is nationally recognized for winning some of the most contested races in the country,” said Amy Natoce, a Yost spokeswoman and senior adviser. “As a longtime adviser to President Trump, he knows what it means to work with conservative America First candidates like Dave Yost. His experience is invaluable, and we are excited to have him on our team.”

Yost also sent out a text message to his followers on Friday night promoting his trip to Washington, DC, for Trump’s inauguration.

“As your next governor, I will work with President Trump to advance his America First agenda,” Yost wrote. “Watch for a special announcement soon about my run for governor!”

Sprague, meanwhile, filed paperwork Friday with Ohio’s secretary of state specifying that he plans to seek the governorship — a move that a spokesman confirmed was a prelude to an official announcement.

“I will continue to fight to reform a broken system, protect our freedoms and make Ohio the economic powerhouse of the Midwest,” Sprague wrote the X. “The people of this state deserve bold, proven leadership, and I look forward to sharing my vision for Ohio in the coming weeks.”

While Yost and Sprague aren’t backing down, a veteran Ohio Republican strategist who has worked on gubernatorial campaigns there said Ramaswamy’s personal wealth and long-established ties to Trump could make him tough to beat — even against known turnout numbers.

“Vivek’s blank check and appeal to conservatives that he has built puts him in pole position,” said the strategist, who spoke on condition of anonymity to share candid observations about an unsettled field where Trump could have enormous influence.

Husted had been considered a leading candidate for governor and had long held ambitions for the job after two terms as DeWine’s lieutenant governor, two terms as Ohio secretary of state and his previous work as state House speaker. But DeWine, aware of a potentially bruising GOP primary brewing for his close ally, tapped him to fill the vacancy left by Vance.