US Vice President JD Vance has endorsed fellow Republican and Indian-American entrepreneur-turned-politician Vivek Ramaswamy in the Ohio gubernatorial election, saying his “great friend” would “make a great governor” of the state.Vance made the remarks at a rally in Ohio on Friday while campaigning for Republican candidates ahead of the November midterm elections.“We’ve also got, I believe, a great gubernatorial candidate, but also a great next governor of Ohio, my friend Vivek Ramaswamy,” Vance said.“I don’t think that anybody needed to encourage Vivek to go to the polling location that day. When your name is on the ballot, nobody needs to make you go vote. But Vivek’s going to make a great governor for the state of Ohio,” he added.
Ramaswamy backed by Trump for governor race
Ramaswamy, 41, won the Republican primary in May with the backing of US President Donald Trump and became the party’s nominee for the November election.He will face Democrat Amy Acton in the gubernatorial race.Democrats have not won the Ohio governor’s office in two decades.Ramaswamy, the son of immigrants from Kerala, was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. He studied at Harvard University and Yale Law School before entering the biotechnology and financial sectors.He founded biotech company Roivant Sciences and served as its CEO from 2014 to 2021. He later entered politics and launched a campaign for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024, before dropping out and backing Trump.He also served as a co-chair of Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Vance campaigns for Ohio Republicans
Vance returned to his hometown of Middletown on Friday to campaign for Republican candidates at the Cleveland-Cliffs Middletown Works steel plant, where his grandfather James Vance worked as a welder for nearly 40 years, news agency AP reported.“Papaw was a welder in this place for 40 years, and today his grandson stands here as the vice president of these United States. It’s an amazing thing,” Vance said.Vance has been highlighting his Rust Belt roots while campaigning for Republican candidates ahead of the November midterm elections. He has promoted the Trump administration’s economic policies, including its efforts to expand US manufacturing.During his speech, Vance said the Trump administration was attempting to reverse what he described as “40 years of American decline”. He pointed to Trump’s immigration and trade policies, including tariffs, as measures intended to protect American jobs.Vance also criticised the Democratic Party, describing it as the “party of graduate students”, while recalling his grandfather’s support for the Democrats because of their ties to unions.
Ohio race takes shape ahead of November election
The Ohio governor’s race is among the contests Republicans and Democrats are closely watching ahead of the midterm elections.Ramaswamy’s Republican nomination came after Trump endorsed him early in the primary campaign. His Democratic opponent, Amy Acton, is a physician who became a prominent public figure during Ohio’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic.Vance’s Friday rally also featured Republican Senator Jon Husted and US energy secretary Chris Wright. Husted, who was appointed to replace Vance in the Senate, is defending his seat against former Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown.Brown, a longtime Ohio politician with a pro-working-class message, lost his re-election bid to Republican Bernie Moreno in 2024 but secured the Democratic nomination for this year’s Senate race.Ohio has shifted towards Republicans during the Trump era, although Democrats are seeking to regain both the governor’s office and a Senate seat in November.
