Vivek Ramaswamy may be gearing up for a gubernatorial run in Ohio, even as he prepares to take on a major role in President-elect Donald Trump’s new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) alongside Elon Musk, according to a report by CBS News.
Trump appointed Ramaswamy and Musk to lead the newly formed department tasked with eliminating government waste, initially targeting $2 trillion in savings. Musk, however, recently revised the goal to $1 trillion.
Ramaswamy, who ran for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024, is reportedly planning to announce his candidacy for Ohio governor by the end of January. With incumbent Governor Mike DeWine ineligible to run again in 2026 due to term limits, the race is wide open.
DeWine recently appointed his lieutenant governor, Jon Husted, to fill the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Vice President-elect J.D. Vance. Ramaswamy, an Ohio resident, had reportedly expressed interest in Vance’s Senate seat before Husted was named.
Politico cited multiple anonymous sources in its reporting. According to journalist Adam Wren, Ramaswamy attended an all-hands DOGE meeting on Saturday at SpaceX headquarters in Washington, though Musk was notably absent.
The report highlighted speculation within Trump’s inner circle about Ramaswamy’s gubernatorial aspirations. “Privately, some in Trump’s world see Ramaswamy’s nascent gubernatorial campaign as a way to clear a path for Musk to do his own work at the agency without him,” Wren wrote.
An informal adviser to Trump remarked, “Elon basically runs the show.” Wren added that a source familiar with DOGE’s operations indicated that multiple executive orders related to the department’s purview would be issued in Trump’s first week in office.
These include orders addressing government contracts and embedding DOGE personnel throughout the federal government. Representatives for Ramaswamy, Musk, and DOGE declined to comment on the developments.
Ramaswamy’s potential gubernatorial run adds another layer of intrigue to his growing political ambitions, even as he takes on a high-profile federal role. With the Ohio governor’s race heating up and DOGE poised to make significant structural changes in Washington, Ramaswamy’s next moves will likely shape his political trajectory.