Ramaswamy will leave DOGE

By Holly Otterbein, Adam Wren | 01/20/2025 10:31 AM EST

Vivek Ramaswamy is expected to kick off his Ohio gubernatorial bid next week.

Vivek Ramaswamy laughs with Speaker of the House Mike Johnson.

Vivek Ramaswamy laughs with Speaker of the House Mike Johnson between Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) meetings with Elon Musk and Republican lawmakers at the Capitol in Washington. Angelina Katsanis/POLITICO

Vivek Ramaswamy is out at Donald Trump’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency.

Ramaswamy, the entrepreneur who was tapped by the president-elect to co-lead his cost-cutting efforts with Elon Musk, is leaving the initiative to run for governor of Ohio, according to a person close to him who was granted anonymity to speak freely.

Ramaswamy’s exit clears the path for Musk, the top donor and confidant to Trump, to run the show at DOGE. The departure also follows Ramaswamy irking some Republicans in MAGA world.

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POLITICO reported Sunday that Ramaswamy could resign from DOGE before launching a bid. Ramaswamy also met with Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine this month about filling the Senate seat vacated by Vice President-elect JD Vance, but DeWine passed over him in favor of his Lt. Gov. Jon Husted.

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