Local entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy has put in his official application for Ohio governor in 2026 after running for president without success. At a kick-off event, Ramaswamy gave an outline of how he intends to change the state’s education sector, foster a new economy, and combat government production obstacles.
A showman in the 2024 Republican presidential primaries, Ramaswamy casts himself as a businessman with grand proposals. “Ohio can show the country the way in education, innovation, and economic growth,” he insisted. “But we need new leadership to achieve this.”
One of the central positions of Ramaswamy’s campaign involves a complete restoration of Ohio’s education; he wants universal school choice whereby parents can use state funding to send their children to public, private, or charter schools. He has further proposed performance-based pay for teachers, believing that rewards will encourage good teachers to turn out great students.
As Ramaswamy works to counteract complaints about declining student interest, he is also pitching a few ideas such as the exclusion of cell phones in classrooms and introducing a compulsory civics test to be passed before graduation. He is aiming, he stated, to bring back academic excellence and better prepare students for the world of work.
Ramaswamy believes in bringing economic improvements and more jobs into the state as the major priorities for Ohio. He has promised to attract high-technology industries like semiconductor chip production, nuclear energy, and biotechnology into the state. He believes that Ohio will lead the nation in bringing such corporate houses into their fold with less regulation and tax incentives.
It has also proposed the candidate to have a long-term, phased approach for clearing the state income tax, which, according to him, will make Ohio more competitive as a location for business investment and people. “The best way to grow our economy is by letting hardworking Ohioans keep more of what they earn,” He expressed.
In line with the general business ideology that has foisted on him, Ramaswamy is promising to modernize the functions of state government. He would do a top-to-bottom agency analysis of Ohio to find and eliminate wasteful revenue and eliminate unnecessary expenditures. He also intends to cut bureaucratic red tape, which he believes is holding back economic prosperity and innovation.
Ramaswamy joins a crowded Republican primary field that features Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost and businesswoman Heather Hill. On the democratic side, former state health chief Dr. Amy Acton is running.
Ramaswamy has aligned all bets in his favor since the state has swung Republicans, resulting in his probability of campaigning among conservative voters, especially those drawn to outsiders and businessman appeal.