Who is Vivek Ramaswamy? The Billionaire Set to Challenge for Ohio Governorship
Vivek Ramaswamy Secures Republican Nomination for Ohio Governor
New York: Billionaire entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, who has garnered support from former President Donald Trump, has emerged victorious in the Republican primary for Ohio governor. He secured an impressive 87% of the votes, defeating Casey Putsch, who resorted to racist tactics during the campaign.
In the upcoming general election in November, Ramaswamy will compete against Democrat Amy Acton, who ran unopposed for her party's nomination.
Initially, Ramaswamy sought the Republican presidential nomination in 2024 but later withdrew to endorse Trump.
Following this, Trump appointed him as co-head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) alongside Elon Musk, aiming to enhance government operations and reduce costs. However, Ramaswamy's tenure in this role was short-lived due to personality conflicts with Musk, the founder of Tesla and SpaceX, as well as the owner of the social media platform X.
After stepping down, Ramaswamy received Trump's endorsement to pursue the governorship in Ohio.
Should he win in November, Ramaswamy would become the third Indian American governor, following Bobby Jindal in Louisiana and Nikki Haley in South Carolina.
Notably, he would also be the first Hindu to hold the position, as Jindal is a Catholic convert and Haley is a Christian by marriage while maintaining her Sikh heritage.
Ohio has not elected a Democrat as governor in 35 years, and both of its senators are Republicans. Trump won the state by a 12% margin in 2024, which may give Ramaswamy an advantage in the upcoming election.
As a billionaire, he possesses significant personal wealth to invest in his campaign.
However, he may encounter challenges due to rising prices linked to the Iran War and Trump's declining popularity in polls.
During the campaign, Putsch's use of racist remarks raised alarms. He made a controversial post on X, saying, 'Hey Vivek, you want to play Cowboys versus Indians?' while firing a gun three times, followed by a derogatory comment about Indian Americans.
Putsch also falsely questioned Ramaswamy's citizenship, claiming he shouldn't qualify because his parents were immigrants. Ramaswamy's father, Vadakanchery Ganapathy Ramaswamy, worked as an engineer for General Electric, while his mother is a psychiatrist.
Ramaswamy's opponent in November, Acton, is a moderate Democrat and a physician who was appointed by Republican Governor Mike DeWine as the state's health director during the onset of COVID-19.
At 40 years old, Ramaswamy holds a law degree from Yale University but has built a career as an entrepreneur, founding a biotechnology firm, Roivant Sciences, and later an asset management company, Strive. His net worth is currently estimated at $2.5 billion, according to Forbes.