Vivek Ramaswamy formally announced on Monday that he is running for governor of Ohio and touted his ties to President Trump as he sought to seize the MAGA mantle.

“President Trump is revising our conviction in America,” Mr. Ramaswamy said at his campaign launch in Cincinnati. “We require a leader here at home who will revive our conviction in Ohio and that is why today I am honored to announce I am running to be the next governor of a great state at the heart of the greatest nation known to mankind.”

The Cincinnati-born biotech entrepreneur joins Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost and Heather Hill in the 2026 GOP primary race to succeed term-limited Gov. Mike DeWine.

Mr. Ramaswamy vowed to make Ohio the best state for business, raise a family, and educate students. “I will lead Ohio to be the state of excellence in America,” he said.

Calling for a “new generation of leadership in the state,” Mr. Ramaswamy said Ohio needs a “governor with fresh legs who is willing to drive hard change” and “willing to run through any obstacle standing in the way of turning Ohio into the state of economic excellence in America.”

He said the state income and property taxes must be reduced “eventually down to zero.” He said he would attach work requirements to Medicaid and welfare programs, reduce state regulations, and fight for merit-based teacher pay.

A married father of two young children and son of Indian immigrants, Mr. Ramaswamy has never held public office.

Still, the 39-year-old has carved out a political niche through his long shot 2024 presidential bid. He worked himself into the good graces of grassroots activists who celebrated his full embrace of the MAGA movement and his eagerness to challenge the GOP establishment.

Mr. Ramaswamy became a top Trump surrogate, further enhancing his image among the MAGA faithful and a president who puts a premium on loyalty.

Mr. Trump rewarded Mr. Ramaswamy by tapping him and Elon Musk to lead the new Department of Government Efficiency, which has been tasked with reducing the size of the federal bureaucracy.

However, Mr. Ramaswamy and Mr. Musk had different visions for DOGE. Mr. Ramaswamy announced he was leaving the group on Inauguration Day and turned his attention to running for public office.

The path to the governor’s mansion widened after Mr. DeWine, a Republican, appointed then-Lt. Gov. Jon Husted to the Senate seat vacated by Vice President J.D. Vance.

On Monday, Mr. Ramaswamy signaled he would make the most of his ties to Mr. Trump, whose endorsement is considered political gold in GOP contests.

Ahead of the formal launch of his campaign, Mr. Ramaswamy sent a text message to supporters pledging to be a “key partner” with Mr. Trump.

According to the Signal Akron, he said he is focused on pushing back against the “Democratic machine — at the helm in battleground Ohio” and cast his GOP rivals as a “bunch of anti-Trump Republicans.”

Mr. Ramaswamy repeatedly mentioned Mr. Trump at his campaign launch, calling him the “Greatest president of the 21st century” and crediting him with sparking a new wave of enthusiasm about the nation’s future.

“We are on the cusp of a new golden age in America right now,” he said.

Ohio was long considered the perennial presidential battleground, but the state has had an increasingly red hue. Mr. Trump notched 8-point victories in three straight presidential races.

The GOP also holds every statewide executive office and a supermajority in both state legislature chambers.

• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.