Vivek Ramaswamy, Political Newcomer In Ohio, Surges In Polls

India-West News Desk

COLUMBUS – Vivek Ramaswamy is leading the race for the Republican nomination in Ohio’s 2026 governor’s race — and by a landslide.

New internal polling conducted by longtime Trump pollster Tony Fabrizio shows Ramaswamy with 71% support in the GOP primary. That gives him a staggering 60-point lead over his closest competitor, former Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel. The surge came after a key endorsement from former President Donald Trump in February.

The biotech entrepreneur and former presidential candidate has never held elected office. But that outsider status, once considered a disadvantage, is now proving to be an asset. Ramaswamy’s candidacy reflects a broader shift in Ohio — and in national politics — where voters increasingly gravitate toward political newcomers with bold messages and name recognition.

“Political experience is no longer the golden ticket,” Xavier University political science professor Mack Mariani wrote in The Cincinnati Enquirer. “In high-profile races, candidates with national followings, their own funding, and the backing of highly mobilized voters are competing — and winning — against establishment politicians.”

That shift has put veteran candidates like Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost at a disadvantage. Despite winning three statewide elections and once being considered a frontrunner, Yost has struggled to gain traction, Mariani noted. He said, it was last in 1929 that an Ohio governor elected was electedwithout any prior government experience — something Ramaswamy now seems poised to do.

Alongside Trump’s backing, Ramaswamy has picked up endorsements from high-profile Ohio Republicans like Secretary of State Frank LaRose and Treasurer Robert Sprague.

Experts say the success of candidates like Ramaswamy and current Vice President J D Vance is fueled by voter frustration with the status quo and a focus on national-level issues rather than traditional state politics.

On the Democratic side, the likely nominee is Dr. Amy Acton, the former state health director who became a household name during the COVID-19 pandemic — and, like Ramaswamy, has never held elected office.