Vivek Ganapathy Ramaswamy, the Republican candidate running for Ohio governor, will be facing Democratic candidate Amy Acton and Libertarian candidate Don Kissick in the November 2026 elections. Whoever wins will succeed Republican incumbent Mike DeWine who won’t be appearing for re-elections due to term limits. Competing to become the 71st governor of Ohio, if elected, Ramaswamy would become the first Indian American governor of the state.
Ramaswamy made it to the headlines during his 2024 presidential bid, entering the race as a Republican candidate. Although he later withdrew and endorsed President Donald Trump, the campaign brought him a lot of recognition. Trump endorsed Ramaswamy for governor, calling him a strong candidate. Ramaswamy went on to call Trump “the best president of the 21st century” as well. In 2025, he announced his bid for Ohio governor, taking his political career from the national stage to his home state. Before entering politics, he founded Roivant Sciences in 2014, a pharmaceutical company and went on to co-found Strive Asset Management in 2022.
Ramaswamy's personal life and background
Born on August 9, 1985, in Cincinnati, Ohio, to Indian immigrant parents, Ramaswamy’s roots can be traced back to Palakkad in Kerala. Born and raised in the US, Ramaswamy is fluent in English and Tamil. His father, V. G. Ramaswamy, worked as an engineer while his mother Geetha Ramaswamy studied medicine at Mysore Medical College and worked as a geriatric psychiatrist. They migrated to the US in the 1970s.
Ramaswamy attended St. Xavier High School, a Catholic school in Cincinnati, Ohio. He went on to study biology at Harvard College, where he also served as president of the Harvard Political Union. He later enrolled at Yale Law School and earned a Juris Doctor degree in 2013. He even received a Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans in 2011 to support his legal studies.
{{/usCountry}}Ramaswamy attended St. Xavier High School, a Catholic school in Cincinnati, Ohio. He went on to study biology at Harvard College, where he also served as president of the Harvard Political Union. He later enrolled at Yale Law School and earned a Juris Doctor degree in 2013. He even received a Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans in 2011 to support his legal studies.
{{/usCountry}}During his college years, Ramaswamy was also involved in rap music. At Harvard, he performed under the stage name “Da Vek”, delivering Eminem covers and original rap songs influenced by his libertarian ideas. He even performed Eminem’s Lose Yourself at the Iowa State Fair in 2023. Moreover, he studied classical piano from childhood and was a national junior tennis player during his school years.
Ramaswamy, 41, is married to Apoorva Tewari Ramaswamy, a physician and surgeon specializing in otolaryngology. The couple met in 2011 at a party while studying at Yale University. They have three children, two sons and a daughter. The family currently lives in the Columbus metropolitan area in Ohio.
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Ramaswamy's political positions and priorities
Ramaswamy has made reduction of Medicaid fraud and affordability of healthcare a key part of his campaign. He has proposed stricter checks to prevent the misuse of Medicaid funds, along with simplifying the system to improve supervision. He also wants Ohio to seek federal approval in order to keep 65% of the money recovered through Medicaid fraud investigations. He says the money could be used to lower health insurance and support rural hospitals. His plan also includes an 80-hour monthly work or education requirement for eligible adults to receive Medicaid benefits.
Moreover, Ramaswamy has urged to reduce government spending and make Ohio’s state government more efficient. He has proposed cutting unnecessary regulations and reducing bureaucracy to save public money. His plan also includes bringing different government agencies together. He believes these changes can prevent fraud and increase efficiency. His priorities and positions are heavily influenced by Trump. He expressed that while Trump’s job was to put Americans first, his own job was to put Ohioans first.
Ramaswamy has promised to take strict actions for crimes in Ohio. He supports tougher bail rules and longer sentences for people who repeatedly commit violent crimes. He also wants to give local police officers and sheriffs greater support in dealing with violent offenders. Ultimately, his broader goal is to strengthen Ohio’s economy and public safety. By using slogans like “Revive the American Dream in Ohio”, he aims to create more jobs, attract businesses and make the state more affordable for people.
Ramaswamy's stand on immigration, jobs, trade and tariffs
Ramaswamy has supported stricter immigration policies and stronger security along the US-Mexico border. His views on immigration are broadly aligned with Trump’s efforts to deport illegal immigrants and to increase border security. If elected, he promises to abolish sanctuary city policies in various cities of Ohio, including Cincinnati and Cleveland. He even proposed to end birth right citizenship for children born in the US to undocumented immigrants.
Beyond immigration, Ramaswamy has promised to bring more high paying jobs to Ohio and make the state a better place for business opportunities. He wants to attract new industries, encourage businesses to invest in the state and reduce regulations that affect economic growth. He has also called to reduce the dependence of the US on China. He believes that the US should encourage local industries, while strengthening trade relations with countries like India, Japan and South Korea. During this campaign, he also advocated to protect domestic industries from foreign competition.
Ramaswamy's views on Iran war and artificial intelligence
Ramaswamy has called for an end to the Iran conflict, arguing that it has contributed to rising fuel prices and increased costs for Ohio families and farmers. In October 2026, he said he wanted the war to end but acknowledged that foreign policy was beyond the control of an Ohio governor. He has focused on reducing high fuel prices and proposed a temporary suspension of Ohio’s gas and diesel taxes. During his 2024 presidential campaign, Ramaswamy also opposed sending US troops into a war with Iran.
Furthermore, Ramaswamy supports introducing artificial intelligence into education and believes students should learn how to use the technology. He has said schools must prepare children for a future dominated by AI and other technologies. He has also made AI data centers a key issue in his current campaign, urging data centers to provide electricity benefits, pay property taxes, along with meeting air and water quality standards. His plan also calls for pausing new data centers until these rules become a law.
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Ramaswamy's major controversies and disputes
In October 2026, Ramaswamy faced criticism for launching a campaign advertisement that featured Donna Arthur, estranged mother of his Democratic opponent Amy Acton. In the video, Arthur called her daughter a “liar” and challenged her claim of being homeless as a child. She also questioned Acton’s ability to become a governor. The advertisement garnered criticism because Acton has said that her stepfather sexually abused her when she was 12 and that her mother failed to protect her.
Acton and her brother were removed from their mother’s custody after her stepfather was charged with rape. Acton accused Ramaswamy of using her childhood trauma to gain political support. Her brother, Philip Stearns, also criticized the advertisement, calling it a “disgusting attack.” However, Ramaswamy continued to defend the advertisement, arguing that voters should hear from people who know Acton personally.
In December 2025, Ramaswamy clashed with far-right commentator Nick Fuentes over racism and the meaning of American identity. At Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest conference, Ramaswamy rejected the idea that a person’s ancestry determined how American they were, saying that “there is no American who is more American than somebody else. You either are an American, or you are not”. At the conference on December 19, Ramaswamy directly criticised Fuentes for praising Adolf Hitler and promoting hatred against different ethnic groups. Fuentes responded by saying that he would oppose Ramaswamy’s bid for Ohio governor in 2026. He said, “we have to deny Vivek Ramaswamy the governorship” and used a racial slur against him.
Ramaswamy's net worth and more
According to Forbes, Vivek Ramaswamy has an estimated net worth of $2.3 billion as of September 2026. He built much of his fortune through investments in the biotechnology industry and by founding Roivant Sciences. If elected, Ramaswamy would be the third richest elected US official, claimed Forbes.
As the 2026 elections approach, Ramaswamy’s bid for Ohio governor marks another step in his political career. If elected, he would become the first Indian American to serve as governor of Ohio.
-By Tanisha Sharma