Political | Process

Vivek Ramaswamy will launch a campaign for governor in Ohio early next week and is parting ways with President Trump’s incoming Department of Government Efficiency.

He’s leaving DOGE. He’s going to announce early next week for governor,” said one of the sources, who was granted anonymity to discuss preparations for a campaign that has not officially launched. “It became increasingly clear over the last week that pursuing the governor’s race and running DOGE was not compatible. He’s leaving on good terms with Trump, Elon and the team.”

A post on X issued Monday morning around the time that Ramaswamy’s departure from DOGE became public, underscored how abruptly he was pivoting away from one of Trump’s top priorities.

“A new dawn,” Ramaswamy posted alongside a photo of him with Musk.

In a statement, Trump transition spokesperson Anna Kelly praised Ramaswamy for having played a “critical role” in establishing DOGE. 

“He intends to run for elected office soon, which requires him to remain outside of DOGE based on the structure that we announced today,” Kelly added. “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!”

Ramaswamy, a wealthy biotech entrepreneur, briefly challenged Trump for the Republican presidential nomination last year before he became one of his most visible and vocal allies. He had said he was putting his Ohio political ambitions on hold to help lead the DOGE effort.

At the time, Ramaswamy was taking himself out of the running for the appointment to the Senate vacancy in Ohio left by Vice President-elect JD Vance. But Ramaswamy resurfaced as a late contender for that job, meeting last week with Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, who eventually selected Lt. Gov. Jon Husted.