Vivek Ramaswamy suggested that his recent knock against Florida was due to his desire to improve the state of Ohio, a goal he wants to achieve through the governor’s mansion.

The former 2024 presidential candidate announced his candidacy for Ohio’s 2026 gubernatorial election on Monday, during which he talked about how he wanted to make the state a place where people will “flock” to live “instead of Florida and Texas.” In his first televised interview since announcing his candidacy, Ramaswamy explained that “friendly competition” between the states is good, saying how “federalism” was built upon the idea of competition.

“I do want to lead Ohio to be the top state in the country, especially in one area that I don’t think we’ve talked about enough, which is educational excellence even in our public schools,” Ramaswamy said on Fox News’s Hannity. “I want to make Ohio the first state in the country where we implement merit-based pay for teachers, principals, superintendents so that the best teachers who should be paid more are actually paid more. But that comes at the expense of a lot of dead weight hanging around. I want to get the cellphones out of the classroom, I want to bring back early physical education.”

Ramaswamy continued that “educational excellence” would be a major focus of his campaign, specifically how it relates to what Ohio’s children can accomplish. Fox News host Sean Hannity countered that Florida is currently leading in public schools, to which Ramaswamy said he needs to lead the state “to the future we want to get to.”

The Washington Examiner reached out to Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) for comment regarding Ramaswamy’s knock on Florida.

The Ohio gubernatorial candidate added that while President Donald Trump is reviving enthusiasm and confidence among residents across the country, state leaders who revive “conviction” are also needed. Ramaswamy explained that many federal programs are moving to states, and it will be up to “strong-willed governors” to lead on these programs.

RAMASWAMY HAS A GOOD SHOT AT THE OHIO GOVERNORSHIP

Currently, Ramaswamy’s only competition in the Ohio Republican primary race is from David Yost, the state’s two-term attorney general.

Congrats on getting into the race, Vivek!

Please join me in supporting @VivekGRamaswamy for Ohio Governor ????https://t.co/iAULm1wx2k https://t.co/wjbxS7V22w

— Rick Scott (@ScottforFlorida) February 24, 2025

Amid Ramaswamy’s bid to create friendly competition between Ohio and Florida, Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) has cheered the businessman’s bid for the governor’s mansion, congratulating Ramaswamy on X and encouraging other users on the platform to support his run.