Indian-origin businessman Vivek Ramaswamy has won the Republican primary for governor in Ohio, according to projections by NBC News. The 40-year-old now moves on to the main election, which is expected to be costly and closely fought. On the Democratic side, former state health director Amy Acton secured her party’s nomination without facing any opponent.
Vivek Ramaswamy wins Ohio Republican primary, big battle ahead
Ramaswamy, who earlier contested against Trump in the presidential election and later ran as a Republican for the Ohio governor’s race, has since received strong backing from both the president and Vice President JD Vance. He defeated Casey Putsch, a first-time candidate known for his “car guy” videos on YouTube.
Putsch largely ran his campaign on social media, and some of his posts targeted Ramaswamy’s Indian-American background. Meanwhile, Ramaswamy distanced himself from social media in recent days and instead focused on ground-level campaigning.
Another Republican candidate, Heather Hill, was removed from the ballot after her running mate for lieutenant governor pulled out, which goes against state rules. Ramaswamy is running with state Senate President Rob McColley as his deputy. Acton’s running mate is David Pepper.
A tough general election ahead
Ohio has been a difficult state for Democrats in recent years, and it hasn’t elected a Democratic governor in 20 years. Current governor Mike DeWine cannot run again because of term limits. Even so, early polls show this race between Acton and Ramaswamy could be close. DeWine himself had won his last election by a huge margin, defeating former Dayton mayor Nan Whaley by 25 points, thanks to support that crossed party lines.
Money is a huge part of Ramaswamy’s campaign. He has raised $25 million from donors and added another $25 million from his own pocket. He already had more than $30 million ready to spend, far ahead of Acton’s $5 million. Even during the primary, where he didn’t face a strong challenge, Ramaswamy spent heavily on ads, rolling out a $10 million media push weeks in advance. All signs point to this becoming the most expensive governor’s race in Ohio’s history.
Ramaswamy’s rise and Trump connection
Ramaswamy made his fortune in the biotech industry and first gained national attention during the 2024 presidential race. He dropped out after the Iowa caucuses, backed Donald Trump, and has stayed closely linked to Trump’s MAGA movement.
At one point, as Trump prepared to return to the White House, Ramaswamy even worked with billionaire Elon Musk on a project called the Department of Government Efficiency, aimed at cutting government costs. However, he soon chose to step away from it before Trump’s 2025 inauguration to focus on his governor run, a campaign Trump supported from day one.
Acton, 60, became widely known during the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic when she served in DeWine’s administration. Her time in office also brought intense backlash. Right-wing protesters targeted her, sometimes gathering outside the Statehouse in Columbus and even near her home, carrying guns and signs with antisemitic messages. Acton, who is Jewish, later said this pressure wasn’t the main reason she stepped down in June 2020.