Things move fast in the world of politics. One minute, you're tapped by President-elect Donald Trump to work with Elon Musk as co-chair of the non-governmental, yet supremely influential, Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), and the next, you're thinking that running for higher office sounds like fun.

Such seems to be the case with former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, who is reportedly looking to hold public office in his home state of Ohio. As RedState reported Friday, Ramaswamy was said to have been lobbying hard in recent days to be named as Vice President-elect JD Vance's replacement in the Senate, an effort that was ultimately unsuccessful as Ohio Governor Mike DeWine chose someone else.

There was rampant speculation over who DeWine would tap to serve through the 2026 special election to replace Vance, and many thought former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy was a shoo-in for the job. As it turns out, DeWine selected his own lieutenant governor, Jon Husted, to head to Capitol Hill.

It could be that DeWine, who isn't exactly chummy with President-elect Donald Trump, opted to look outside Trump world for the newest senator. But that doesn't mean Ramaswamy doesn't have other electoral options, as there is an Ohio governor's race also looming in 2026, and DeWine can't run again due to term limitations.

It seems that running for governor in his home state is exactly what Ramaswamy intends to do, according to several reports, with an announcement potentially coming very soon.

Ohio entrepreneur and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy will announce a bid for Ohio governor "shortly," a source close to Ramaswamy confirmed.

Ramaswamy, who grew up in the Cincinnati area and currently lives in Columbus, may have been actively trying to nab the Vance Senate seat, but he also "sees himself as an executive." It, therefore, makes a ton of sense that he'd set his sights on the governor's race. 

It also makes a ton of sense for him to make the move right now, as he has a fundraising machine in place from his presidential run, and his public profile, particularly in the realm of politics, has never been higher. Add in the fact that he's likely to have Trump's full support, and it could be a case of "now or never" for Ramaswamy. 

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Of course, he's only 39, so there's plenty of time for him to run, but he's smart enough to know it's best to act when your political stock is high. And it's hard to imagine a scenario in which his could be any higher.

And although he has yet to make anything official, Ramaswamy was busy on X accepting implied gubernatorial endorsements from Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC).

Thank you @VoteMarsha! https://t.co/9DfYe4krWI

— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) January 17, 2025

Thank you @NancyMace! https://t.co/9ymXX8RGel

— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) January 17, 2025

Running for office apparently doesn't mean that Ramaswamy intends to shirk his DOGE duties. Instead, it appears he plans to use DOGE to buttress his political ambitions and serve as a springboard to higher office. According to one political operative in Ohio: "Vivek’s base plan remains [the] same: to get accomplishments at DOGE and then announce a run for governor shortly."