President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk on Monday separately endorsed entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy in Ohio’s gubernatorial race.
Ramaswamy, who ran against Trump in the 2024 GOP presidential primary, announced his candidacy earlier on Monday to replace term-limited Republican Gov. Mike DeWine in the 2026 election.
Trump announced his endorsement in a post to his social media platform Truth Social.
“VIVEK RAMASWAMY is running for Governor of the Great State of Ohio. I know him well, competed against him, and he is something SPECIAL,” Trump wrote.
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“He’s Young, Strong, and Smart! Vivek is also a very good person, who truly loves our Country,” he continued. “He will be a GREAT Governor of Ohio, will never let you down, and has my COMPLETE AND TOTAL ENDORSEMENT!”
Musk, a senior advisor to Trump, also offered Ramaswamy his endorsement a short time later.
“Good luck, you have my full endorsement!” Musk responded to Ramaswamy in a post on X.
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Musk and Ramaswamy were initially slated to lead the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) when Trump returned to the White House last month, but Ramaswamy exited the newly formed cost-cutting department – still led by Musk – ahead of Inauguration Day as he prepared to launch his campaign for governor.
Speculation swirled after Ramaswamy’s departure from DOGE about a possible falling out between him and Musk, allegations Ramaswamy has denied.
Ramaswamy formally declared his candidacy during a rally on Monday in his hometown of Cincinnati.
“I will lead Ohio to become the state of excellence in America,” Ramaswamy told the crowd.
“Think that sounds unrealistic? It’s not,” he said. “In fact, it wasn’t long ago that Ohio was that state. Today, young people on the internet make fun of something by saying ‘that’s so Ohio.’ But less than a century ago, people weren’t making fun of Ohio, they were aspiring to be Ohio.”
Ramaswamy, 39, dropped out of the race for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination to endorse Trump and become a surrogate for the current president.
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