Tom Zawistowski, president of the Ohio-based We the People Convention, said businessman and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy is likely to be the favorite Republican candidate among Ohioans in the 2026 gubernatorial race.
While Ramaswamy has not officially launched a bid for Ohio governor, reports have recently confirmed that the businessman and former presidential candidate has hired Vice President JD Vance’s top political advisers to head his expected campaign.
“That’s a pretty clear indication that the die is cast, and that’s what he intends to do,” Zawistowski said on Wednesday’s edition of The Michael Patrick Leahy Show.
So far, three candidates – two Republicans and one Democrat – have officially launched bids to be Ohio’s next governor: Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, Ohio Treasurer Robert Sprague, and former Ohio Department of Health (ODH) Director Amy Acton.
Noting Yost’s name recognition and ability to win elections in Ohio, Zawistowski said he believes Ramaswamy would emerge more popular among Ohio voters due to his ability to likely earn an endorsement from President Donald Trump.
“We did see Attorney General Dave Yost announce, he’s basically saying, ‘Hey, Vivek never has been elected to anything. He finished fourth in the presidential race. I’ve been elected to all kinds of offices, so I think people will elect me.’ The problem with that is, it looks very clear that not only does Vivek have JD Vance’s endorsement, but that he has President Trump’s endorsement,” Zawistowski explained.
“It’s really simple here in Ohio: if Trump endorses you, you’re going to win. So we’re very excited about that here in the grassroots in Ohio,” Zawistowski added.
Zawistowski also pointed out Ramaswamy’s ability to self-fund his own campaign, which he believes will end up being one of the businessman’s “most important” traits among voters.
“Vivek has the most important thing here in Ohio, and that is he’s got the self worth to fund his campaign. He’s not going to be beholden to the typical people that do the pay to play with Republicans in Ohio, and that’s what’s going to really generate a lot of enthusiasm among the grassroots. Self funding and a Trump endorsement? I don’t know how you beat that,” Zawistowski said.
Watch the full interview:
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Ohio Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
Photo “Vivek Ramaswamy” by Vivek Ramaswamy.
