Vivek Ramaswamy Wins Ohio Republican Governor Primary

CINCINNATI, OH- As expected, former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, who had an early endorsement from President Donald Trump, has won the Republican Party primary for Ohio governor, defeating businessman Casey Putsch.

Ramaswamy secured 87 percent of the vote and will face Democratic candidate Amy Acton in the November general election. Acton, a physician and former Ohio health director, ran unopposed in the Democratic primary.

Trump had appointed Ramaswamy and entrepreneur Elon Musk as co-heads of the now notorious Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Ramaswamy’s tenure in the role lasted about a month amid reported differences with Musk, the founder of Tesla and SpaceX and owner of social media platform X. He later received Trump’s endorsement to run for Ohio governor.

If elected in November, Ramaswamy would become the third Indian American governor after former Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal and former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley, both Republicans. He would also become the first Hindu governor in the United States.

Ohio has not elected a Democratic governor in 35 years, and Donald Trump carried the state by a 12-point margin in the 2024 presidential election, giving Ramaswamy an advantage heading into November.

During the campaign, Casey Putsch drew criticism over racist remarks directed at Ramaswamy.

In a post on X, Putsch wrote, “Hey Vivek, you want to play Cowboys versus Indians?” before firing a gun three times in the video. He then added, “Don’t worry, it’s ‘feather’, not ‘dot’.” The remarks referenced derogatory stereotypes aimed at Native Americans and Indian Americans.

Putsch also falsely questioned Ramaswamy’s citizenship status because his parents immigrated from India. Ramaswamy’s father, Vadakanchery Ganapathy Ramaswamy, worked as an engineer with General Electric, while his mother is a psychiatrist. The 40-year-old Ramaswamy earned a law degree from Yale University .

After working at a hedge fund, he founded biotechnology company Roivant Sciences and later launched asset management firm Strive. According to Forbes, his net worth is estimated at $2.5 billion. (IANS)