Vivek Ramaswamy, the Republican front-runner in Ohio’s race for governor, has selected state Senate President Rob McColley as his running mate for lieutenant governor, his campaign confirmed first to NBC News.
Ramaswamy, whom President Donald Trump has endorsed, is scheduled to officially introduce McColley as his No. 2 at an event Wednesday night in Cleveland.
The decision pairs Ramaswamy, the billionaire biotech entrepreneur best known for an unsuccessful presidential bid in 2024, with an experienced lawmaker who can act as his eyes and ears in the Legislature. It also creates a fully millennial GOP ticket: Ramaswamy is 40, McColley 41.
“I’m excited to announce Rob McColley as my running mate to be the next lieutenant governor of Ohio,” Ramaswamy said in a statement. “I’m an entrepreneur, not a politician, and selected Rob to be a governing partner who can help advance our ambitious legislative agenda. Rob is a proven conservative leader, and he is committed to my vision to make the American Dream a reality for every Ohioan.”
McColley’s selection was first reported by D.J. Byrnes, who writes about Ohio politics at the left-wing blog The Rooster.
“Ohio needs a businessman, not a bureaucrat; a creator, not a quitter; a visionary, not a victim. That leader is Vivek Ramaswamy,” McColley said in the campaign’s statement to NBC News. “He will be one of the boldest leaders in the history of our state, and I’m honored to help execute his vision.”
Ramaswamy is running to succeed Gov. Mike DeWine, a term-limited Republican in a state that has not elected a Democrat as governor in 20 years. His campaign announced this week that it raised nearly $20 million last year — a staggering sum so early in the election cycle and one that did not include any contributions from Ramaswamy’s personal wealth.
Democrats are likely to counter with physician Amy Acton, who was the state’s health director under DeWine in the early days of the Covid pandemic. Several early polls have indicated a close race between her and Ramaswamy.
Acton on Wednesday morning announced David Pepper, the former chair of the Ohio Democratic Party, as her running mate. Pepper, a former Hamilton County commissioner and Cincinnati councilman, has run twice for statewide office — unsuccessful campaigns for state auditor and attorney general in 2010 and 2014.
“David is an innovative and pragmatic leader who has been laser focused on delivering for Ohioans for his entire career, from reducing the property tax rate for Cincinnatians to tackling foreclosures during the 2008 recession,” Acton said in a statement from her campaign. “I am thrilled to have David by my side in the fight to lower costs, tackle corruption and special interests, and ensure that every Ohio family can thrive and enjoy the quality of life we all deserve.”
Acton and Pepper are expected to make their debut Wednesday afternoon at a Columbus-area roundtable discussion on affordability.
McColley offered a preview Monday of how the soon-to-be-minted GOP partnership could function. In a guest column for The Columbus Dispatch, he defended Ramaswamy against “a fringe of the right that takes umbrage with the fact that Vivek is the son of legal immigrants.” The same day, Ramaswamy wrote in The Wall Street Journal that he had recently deleted social media apps from his phone, citing the “spate of shocking racial slurs” directed at him online.
Ramaswamy’s search for a running mate powered the rumor mill for months around the Statehouse in Columbus. Several Republicans committed to down-ballot races this year signaled interest in being his running mate, and Ramaswamy considered a number of familiar names, including that of Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose. Former state Treasurer Josh Mandel, who lost the 2022 GOP Senate primary to JD Vance, emerged as a late candidate before Ramaswamy settled on McColley.
McColley had been exploring running for Congress in what’s expected to be a highly competitive race against Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur.
McColley was a key player last year in Ohio’s congressional redistricting, which resulted in Kaptur’s longtime Toledo-anchored district being redrawn to take in more of McColley’s state legislative district, including his hometown. Without McColley in the mix, the Republican primary in the district figures to be a clash among former state Rep. Derek Merrin, who was the party’s nominee for the seat in 2024, state Rep. Josh Williams and Air Force veteran Alea Nadeem.
Ramaswamy’s fundraising success, combined with his Trump endorsement and national profile, have cemented him as the front-runner in the governor’s race. And he has had little trouble clearing the GOP primary field of brand-name rivals. State Attorney General Dave Yost ended his bid after the Ohio Republican Party followed Trump’s lead and backed Ramaswamy. Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel, whom DeWine had positioned for a possible campaign, decided against one.
Entrepreneur Casey Putsch, a political unknown, has emerged as one of Ramaswamy’s most vocal opponents in the May primary.
