Vivek Ramaswamy, the Cincinnati-born biotech entrepreneur who departed the Department of Government Efficiency initiative on President Donald Trump's first day, launched his bid for Ohio governor Monday with promises to institute work requirements for Medicaid and merit pay for all public school teachers and administrators.Ramaswamy, 39, kicked off his campaign in Cincinnati, joining the 2026 Republican primary just a month after presumed frontrunner and then-Lt. Gov. Jon Husted left the running to take a U.S. Senate appointment.Ramaswamy sought the GOP nomination for president in 2024 before dropping out to back Trump, who later tapped him to co-chair the efficiency initiative with billionaire Elon Musk. A near-billionaire himself, Ramaswamy has promoted his ties to Trump as he lines up key endorsements and donors in the governor's race, but the president has made no formal endorsement yet.맥스카지노�I spent most of last year working tirelessly to help send Donald Trump back to the White House because it was a fork in the road,맥스카지노� Ramaswamy said to loud cheers from the crowd. 맥스카지노�It was a fork in the road for the future of the country.맥스카지노�Ramaswamy joins a competitive GOP primary field to succeed Republican Gov. Mike DeWine, 78, a veteran center-right politician who is term-limited.Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced a bid for the seat in January and Heather Hill, a Black entrepreneur from Appalachia, also is running. Dr. Amy Acton, the former state health director who helped lead Ohio through the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, is running as a Democrat.They will compete in a former bellwether state that has tacked reliably red in recent years, having voted for Trump three times by more than 8 percentage points. Republicans also hold every statewide executive office, a majority on the Ohio Supreme Court and supermajorities in both legislative chambers.Ramaswamy told the crowd at his campaign launch that he would 맥스카지노�end the war on work맥스카지노� by reattaching work requirements to Medicaid and welfare.He vowed to eliminate income and property taxes, and he promised Ohio would be the first state in the nation to implement merit-based pay for every teacher, principal, superintendent and administrator.He spoke of Ohio's more prosperous days, when he said the state was home to the glass, rubber and steel capitals of the world. This could be the case again, he said, though in other industries like semiconductor production, nuclear energy, biotechnology and bitcoin.맥스카지노�I believe deep in my bones that Ohio can lead the way again," he said. 맥스카지노�If Silicon Valley was at the leading edge of the American economy for the last 10 years, it will be the Ohio River Valley for the next 10 years.맥스카지노�Yost issued a statement welcoming Ramaswamy to the race 맥스카지노�for however long he sticks around.맥스카지노�Ramaswamy, who is Hindu, outlined the 10 core beliefs featured in his presidential campaign 맥스카지노� led by 맥스카지노�God is real맥스카지노� followed by 맥스카지노�there are two genders맥스카지노� 맥스카지노� in the 2024 book, 맥스카지노�Truths: The Future of America First.맥스카지노� He first rose to political prominence with his 2021 book, 맥스카지노�Woke Inc: Inside Corporate America맥스카지노�s Social Justice Scam,맥스카지노� a scorching critique of corporations that he said use social justice causes as a smokescreen for self-interested policies.He seeks to buck the traditional route to Ohio's governorship, which runs through extensive government service often stretching decades, and instead mount a Trump-style ascent into the job directly from the business world.The formula has worked for Vice President JD Vance and U.S. Sen. Bernie Moreno, two political newcomers who won Senate seats with the help of Trump맥스카지노�s endorsement in 2022 and 2024, respectively. But Ramaswamy will test it in a state government-level race for the first time in recent memory.DeWine passed Ramaswamy over to appoint Husted to the Senate seat vacated by Vance, citing Husted맥스카지노�s decades of elective experience. The gubernatorial bid by Husted, a former Ohio House speaker and secretary of state, had locked down many key endorsements and wealthy donors, who are now largely free agents.Yost joined the race as rumors circulated that Ramaswamy was planning a run. Since then, however, Ohio Treasurer Robert Sprague and Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose have endorsed Ramaswamy.