Former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy is done at President Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiative, a spokesperson confirmed on Monday.
The confirmation came a couple of hours after a source close to the multimillionaire biotech entrepreneur told Fox News Digital that Ramaswamy was no longer with DOGE.
And Ramaswamy, who along with Elon Musk, the world’s richest person, was tapped in November by Trump to steer DOGE, is expected to launch a Republican campaign for Ohio governor early next week, according to the source.
“Vivek Ramaswamy played a critical role in helping us create DOGE,” Trump-Vance transition spokesperson Anna Kelly, said in a statement to Fox News. “He intends to run for elected office soon, which requires him to remain outside of DOGE, based on the structure that we announced today. We thank him immensely for his contributions over the last 2 months and expect him to play a vital role in making America great again.”
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Vivek Ramaswamy and Kristi Noem applaud during U.S. President Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration at the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., January 20, 2025. (Kevin Lamarque/REUTERS, Pool)
GOP Gov. Mike DeWine of Ohio is term-limited and cannot seek re-election in 2026.
DeWine on Friday announced that Lt. Gov. Jon Husted would fill the U.S. Senate seat that was held by former Sen. JD Vance until earlier this month, when the vice president stepped down ahead of Monday’s inauguration.
Before the Senate announcement, Husted had planned to run for governor in 2026 to succeed DeWine. Ramaswamy, for his part, had expressed interest in serving in the Senate.Â
DeWine’s decision to choose Husted to fill the vacant Senate seat appeared to accelerate Ramaswamy’s move toward launching a run for governor.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announces his appointment of Lt. Gov. Jon Husted, right, to fill the U.S. Senate seat formerly held by Vice President JD Vance at a news conference on Friday, Jan. 17, 2025, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Julie Carr Smyth)
Ramaswamy, 39, who launched his presidential campaign in February 2023, saw his stock rise as he went from a long shot to a contender for the Republican nomination.
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Ramaswamy campaigned on what he called an “America First 2.0” agenda and was one of Trump’s biggest supporters in the field of rivals, calling Trump the “most successful president in our century.”
Vivek Ramaswamy endorses former President Trump during a campaign event in Atkinson, New Hampshire, on Jan. 16, 2024. (Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images)
He dropped his White House bid a year ago after a distant fourth-place finish in the Iowa caucuses and quickly endorsed Trump, becoming a top surrogate on the campaign trail.
Ramaswamy’s exit appears to clear the way for Musk, Trump’s top donor and key ally, to steer DOGE without having to share the limelight.
Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy are leading the effort to cut government inefficiency. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
The move also comes a couple of weeks after Ramswamy and Musk sparked a firestorm among Trump’s hard core MAGA supporters over their support for H-1B temporary worker visas for highly skilled workers from foreign countries.
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Ramaswamy’s comments criticizing an American culture that he said “venerated mediocrity over excellence” received plenty of pushback from leading voices on the far right.
Ohio, which was once a top general election battleground, has shifted red over the past decade as Republicans have dominated statewide elections.
