(From Vivek for Ohio)

Ohio native and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy officially launched his campaign for Governor of Ohio at a high-energy event at CTL Aerospace in Cincinnati. Joined by his wife, Apoorva, Vivek addressed a crowd of more than 1,000 enthusiastic supporters, unveiling an ambitious vision to make Ohio a national leader in economic growth, educational excellence, and cutting-edge innovation—setting an example for the entire country.

In his opening remarks, Vivek officially announced his candidacy for governor. “I’m honored to announce that I am running to be the next governor of a great state at the heart of the greatest nation known to mankind. The state where I was born and raised. The state where Apoorva and I are raising our two sons. A state whose best days are still ahead. I am honored to announce my candidacy to serve as the next Governor of the State of Ohio.”

Born and raised in Cincinnati, the event highlighted Vivek’s commitment to Ohio’s industrial and technological future and his deep roots in the community. In his speech, he pledged to bring bold, fresh leadership to Columbus and chart a new course for the Buckeye State. With a vision rooted in the foundational values of faith, family, patriotism, and hard work, Vivek pledged to lead Ohio to new heights. As governor, he plans to pursue bold priorities to drive Ohio forward:

Economic Excellence Through Bold Leadership: By eliminating government waste and slashing red tape, Vivek will make Ohio the best state in America to live, work, and start a business. He will fight to cut the state income tax—eventually to zero—and to immediately lower skyrocketing property taxes. He will restore law and order by empowering local police and reattach work requirements to Medicaid and welfare.

Making Ohio the State of Educational Excellence: Vivek will make Ohio the nation’s leader in education, where multiple pathways to success are embraced and accessible to all. His goal is to create a true meritocracy that values academic and vocational pursuits equally, empowering every child to follow their unique path to a successful future. His plan includes universal school choice, ensuring school safety with a police officer in every school, and tackling chronic absenteeism. He will fight to implement merit-based pay for teachers and principals, reinstate physical education standards, and address the youth mental health crisis by tackling a deeper crisis of purpose in our young people.

Reviving the American Dream in Ohio: Vivek’s agenda goes beyond economic growth and academic success—it’s about improving everyday life and restoring belief in the American Dream. He envisions a future where local businesses thrive, families grow without financial strain, and every child—no matter their background—has the tools to succeed and build a brighter future. Vivek’s mission is to create a new generation that embraces capitalism, success, and the belief that excellence is their destiny.

After presenting his policy vision, Vivek outlined how he will measure success. “My metric for success as your next governor is the number of people who move into our state versus out, the number of children who are born into families in our state, and the number of those children who go on to remain in this state to make Ohio the place where they pursue their American Dream.”

 He urged Ohioans from all walks of life to unite behind his movement. “We want to build a coalition—the movement starts today—of Ohioans, black or white, man or woman, urban or rural, even Democrat or Republican. If you care about economic excellence and educational excellence, then join us because we’re going to be working together to take our state to new heights.”

Looking ahead, Vivek painted a bold vision for Ohio’s future. “Ten years from now, when we’re sending manned rockets to Mars, when we’re powering our electric grid with nuclear energy, when we’re actually curing previously incurable genetic diseases, you know what people are going to say then? ‘Only in Ohio.’ And this is just the beginning.”

Following the Cincinnati launch event, Vivek will continue his campaign kickoff with rallies in New Albany on Monday and Toledo and Strongsville on Tuesday. More than 4,500 Ohioans have RSVP’d to attend all four events.