Term-limited Gov. Mike DeWine (R-OH) is reportedly moving to block the Ohio Republican Party from endorsing Vivek Ramaswamy’s bid to succeed him.
DeWine and his advisers hope to prevent the state party from endorsing Ramaswamy to replace DeWine in the governor’s mansion in Columbus. President Donald Trump endorsed Ramaswamy on the night he announced his campaign to govern the Buckeye State.
The move pits DeWine sharply against Trump and Vice President JD Vance, NBC noted:
The moves place DeWine sharply at odds with Trump and Vice President JD Vance, an Ohioan who has directed his political team to steer Ramaswamy’s campaign. The move also reinforces long-standing tensions in the state between the old guard, establishment GOP that DeWine is trying to preserve and Trump’s MAGA movement, which counts younger figures like Vance and Ramaswamy among its next generation.
DeWine and Trump were on opposite sides last year in a high-profile GOP Senate primary that Bernie Moreno — Trump’s candidate — ultimately won. And since DeWine chose Ohio State football legend Jim Tressel to serve as his lieutenant governor in January, there has been wide speculation that he prefers the former coach to succeed him. Aside from attending some party fundraisers, Tressel has sent no signals he intends to run, though he has not ruled it out.
“I think he would like to forestall an endorsement taking place, because I think he would like to see if he can convince Jim Tressel to run for governor,” an Ohio Republican leader said of DeWine.
A spokesman said the governor is focused on state budget negotiations.
“As far as who I endorse in the Republican primary for Governor, it is much too early, as we do not even know who all will be in the race. We are now 364 days away from the primary and 293 days away from the filing deadline. In politics, this is a lifetime!” the governor noted in a statement.
A candidate must garner two-thirds of the state party’s 66-member central committee’s votes to receive an endorsement.
Polling has shown that Ramaswamy is the leader in the Republican primary for the Ohio gubernatorial race.
“I know Vivek has a lot of support. He’s working the phones. The governor is working them also,” a committee member who had heard from DeWine said. However, he cautioned that the supermajority vote is a “pretty high hurdle.”
One Ramaswamy ally said that the governor and his administration “will be remembered for being wrong on every major Republican fight” and for how DeWine has opposed Trump-backed candidates.
“If Trump backs you, DeWine’s guaranteed to take the losing side. The establishment isn’t just out of touch — it’s out of time. And the state central committee will prove that again this Friday,” the ally remarked.
Others were dismayed that DeWine’s meddling has not offered a suitable alternative to Ramaswamy ahead of the pivotal meeting.
“There’s not a unified opposition to the endorsement,” the committee member said.
One potential adversary to Ramaswamy may be Ohio lieutenant governor Jim Tressel, who promoted diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) while serving as president of Youngstown State University.
Sean Moran is a policy reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on X @SeanMoran3.
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