DeWine said Wednesday: “With the election year upon us, I am joining Republicans across Ohio in supporting our dynamic ticket for Governor, led by Vivek Ramaswamy. Ohio is winning new business projects from the coasts, and Vivek will keep the momentum going. Vivek Ramaswamy knows that Ohio is the best state to build a business, raise a family, and pursue your vision of the American dream.”
His endorsement came the same day Senate President Rob McColley, a Republican out of Napoleon in northwest Ohio, was announced as Ramaswamy’s running mate.
“The first important decision any governor makes is who will be his or her choice for lieutenant governor,” DeWine said in a press release. “Vivek Ramaswamy has made a great pick in Senate President Rob McColley to be his running mate. Senate President McColley is a strong leader who is well respected by the members of the General Assembly. He knows Ohio and brings geographical balance to the ticket.”
DeWine has ties to the Democrats’ pick for governor, too. Amy Acton, the presumed Democratic nominee for November 2026, helped advise DeWine during parts of the coronavirus pandemic as the Ohio Director of Health. DeWine has repeatedly shielded Acton from a wave of vehement criticism of his administration’s restrictive pandemic measures.
Acton also announced her running mate Wednesday: former Ohio Democratic Party chairman David Pepper, who ran unsuccessfully against DeWine for Ohio Attorney General in 2014.
Ramaswamy is still expected to be challenged in the May primary by Casey Putsch, a Republican who describes himself as a car and watch designer. His campaign’s account on X criticized DeWine, McColley, and Ramaswamy in one fell swoop.
“Like DeWine’s Governorship, highly criticized and unpopular, so is the revolving carousel of establishment GOP officials like McColley,” the post reads. “Vivek has long positioned himself as an “outsider” challenging the political status quo. During 2024 presidential campaign, he railed against ‘the establishment.’ Vivek’s new alignment, further erodes his credibility and the trust of Ohio voters."
