Incoming Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) co-chair Vivek Ramaswamy is planning his next political move, according to several reports on Friday.
Ramaswamy will run for governor of Ohio, as current Gov. Mike DeWine is term-limited after serving two consecutive four-year stints. Just the News reported that Ramaswamy is expected to announce his bid soon after DeWine Lt. Gov. Jon Husted to replace Vice President-elect JD Vance in the Senate.
“Vivek’s base plan remains [the] same: to get accomplishments at DOGE and then announce a run for governor shortly,” an Ohio operative familiar with Ramaswamy’s thinking who requested anonymity to speak more freely, told Fox News on Friday.
Before the Senate announcement, Husted had long planned to run for governor in 2026 to succeed DeWine, but those plans appear to have changed now.
The 39-year-old Ramaswamy, who is a native of Ohio, launched his presidential campaign in February 2023 and has risen from a long-shot candidate to a serious contender for the Republican nomination.
Ramaswamy campaigned on what he referred to as an “America First 2.0” agenda and was one of Trump’s staunchest supporters among the field of rivals, praising Trump as the “most successful president in our century.” Notably, he refrained from ever directly criticizing now-President-elect Donald Trump during his campaign.
Ohio was once a solid battleground state but has shifted decidedly red over the past decade, with Republicans picking up most statewide offices and dominating the congressional delegation.
Shortly after Trump’s November victory, businessmen Elon Musk and Ramaswamy officially joined his administration to take on the role of recommending big cuts to government spending. Both Ramaswamy and Musk were vocal throughout Trump’s campaign about the need to reduce the size and power of the federal government.
“I am pleased to announce that the Great Elon Musk, working in conjunction with American Patriot Vivek Ramaswamy, will lead the Department of Government Efficiency [DOGE],” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
‘DOGE’ is also a cryptocurrency that Musk has often promoted.
“Together, these two wonderful Americans will pave the way for my Administration to dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies,” Trump said in a statement.
The Department of Government Efficiency is not a new government agency. Trump said it will “provide advice and guidance from outside of government” and “partner” with the White House and Office of Management and Budget to drive structural government reform, ABC News reported.
“‘This will send shockwaves through the system, and anyone involved in Government waste, which is a lot of people!’ stated Mr. Musk,” the statement continued.
Trump speculated that the effort could become a modern-day version of the “Manhattan Project” in terms of its scope, influence, and legacy.
“Republican politicians have dreamed about the objectives of ‘DOGE’ for a very long time. To drive this kind of drastic change, the Department of Government Efficiency will provide advice and guidance from outside of Government, and will partner with the White House and Office of Management & Budget to drive large scale structural reform, and create an entrepreneurial approach to Government never seen before,” Trump wrote.
“I look forward to Elon and Vivek making changes to the Federal Bureaucracy with an eye on efficiency and, at the same time, making life better for all Americans. Importantly, we will drive out the massive waste and fraud which exists throughout our annual $6.5 Trillion Dollars of Government Spending.
“They will work together to liberate our Economy, and make the U.S. Government accountable to ‘WE THE PEOPLE.’ Their work will conclude no later than July 4, 2026 — A smaller Government, with more efficiency and less bureaucracy, will be the perfect gift to America on the 250th Anniversary of The Declaration of Independence. I am confident they will succeed!”
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