Billionaire MAGA donor Vivek Ramaswamy left the Trump administration’s quasi-public agency the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) — led by fellow billionaire MAGA donor Elon Musk — to reportedly consider a run for governor in the swing state of Ohio in 2026.
On Monday Ramaswamy learned that he may face a fellow MAGA adherent, as Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced that he’s running for the GOP gubernatorial nomination in the Buckeye state. (Incumbent Republican Governor Mike DeWine is term-limited and ineligible to seek a third consecutive term.)
I'm officially running to be Ohio's next governor. I'm honored to serve as your America First Attorney General & support President Trump's agenda. With your help, we'll move Ohio forward to a brighter future. To learn more & support our campaign, visit https://t.co/G6hHhcSndS. pic.twitter.com/sFnuRqxOma
— Dave Yost (@DaveYostOH) January 23, 2025
The 68-year-old Yost is a lifelong conservative who endorsed Donald Trump and fellow Ohio politician JD Vance in 2024, referring to them as the “law and order” ticket. Yost’s characterization carried weight — especially in light of Trump’s felony convictions — because of Yost’s position as AG and his historical willingness to forego partisanship and prosecute Republicans.
As Ohio Attorney General, Yost played an important role in prosecuting the largest bribery corruption case in the state’s history, indicting former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder, a Republican, on 10 state felony counts including theft, fraud, money laundering and tampering with records.
[NOTE: In an effort to pass a $1 billion bailout bill for its nuclear power plants, the company First Energy paid $60 million to former chairman of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) Sam Randazzo, Householder, and former state Republican Party Chairman Matt Borges, to ensure its passage in the legislature. Householder and Borges were convicted in 2023; Randazzo died by suicide in April 2024.]
The scandal hit close to home for a tightknit group of Ohio Republicans. Gov. DeWine had appointed Randazzo as PUCO’s chairman in 2019, and Borges had run some of Yost’s political campaigns. In May 2024, Yost said he was prosecuting others in the First Energy scandal but won’t discuss his own involvement in what happened.
If he declares as expected, Ramaswamy may have a bigger fight in the primary than in the general election.
Did you hear the news, Ohio? I’m officially running to be your next governor. To learn more about my America First platform and join our campaign, visit https://t.co/Y9qJQlXntk. pic.twitter.com/NGVbv9Ct1Q
— Dave Yost (@DaveYostOH) January 25, 2025
Note: As of January 27, the only Democrat who has officially announced their candidacy for Ohio Governor is Amy Acton, former director of the Ohio Department of Health (2019-2020). The last Democrat to move into Ohio’s governor’s mansion was Ted Strickland (2007-2011).
