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

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

Ramaswamy’s interest in running for office in his home state is not a surprise. But his decision to leave DOGE now removes him from overall command of a federal spending watchdog he was supposed to co-lead with Elon Musk, the billionaire CEO of Tesla and owner of X.

“He is leaving DOGE. He will announce early next week for governor,” said one of the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss preparations for a campaign that has not been officially launched. “It became more and more clear over the past week that pursuing the governor’s race and running DOGE were not compatible. He leaves on good terms with Trump, Elon and the team.”

A post on X posted Monday morning around the time Ramaswamy’s departure from DOGE became public underscored how abruptly he swung away from one of Trump’s top priorities.

“A new dawn,” Ramaswamy wrote alongside a photo of him with Musk.

In a statement, Trump’s transition spokeswoman Anna Kelly praised Ramaswamy for playing a “critical role” in establishing DOGE.

“He intends to run for elected office soon, which will require him to remain outside DOGE based on the structure we announced today,” Kelly added. “We thank him immensely for his contributions over the past 2 months and expect him to play a critical role in making America great again!”

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 was putting his political ambitions in Ohio on hold to help lead the DOGE effort.

At the time, Ramaswamy took himself out of the running for the appointment to the Ohio Senate vacancy left by Vice President-elect JD Vance. But Ramaswamy re-emerged as a late contender for that job when he met last week with Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, who eventually chose Lt. Gov. Jon Husted.

That move quickly set up the race for governor in 2026, as Husted was considered a leading candidate to succeed DeWine, a fellow Republican who is term-limited. Two other GOP officials with statewide name recognition — 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 was joining them only accelerated their preparations.

Ramaswamy mingled with Ohio Republicans at their inaugural ball here Sunday night. But he left conspicuously early, according to three attendees, who spoke on condition of anonymity to share details of a private event. His performance struck those Republicans as unusually shallow for someone about to launch 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,” said one state GOP leader. “That’s next-level arrogance.”

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

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