# Ohio GOP gubernatorial candidate Ramaswamy lays out vision to take state to "next level" | Fox News

## Trump-endorsed Vivek Ramaswamy spells out vision for taking Ohio from 'rust' to 'platinum' if elected governor

### Ramaswamy called for focusing on 'merit-based' pay for educators and tapping into the state's energy potential

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Published March 2, 2025 7:10pm EST

     



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Ohio GOP gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy joins 'Sunday Morning Futures' to lay out his plans for leading the Buckeye State by tapping into energy potential, focusing on education and emphasizing the American Dream.

"People talk about the Rust Belt. I don't want to talk about the Rust Belt. I want to lead us to the platinum belt," the former 2024 presidential candidate told Maria Bartiromo on "Sunday Morning Futures." "The sectors of the future, from semiconductors to nuclear energy to even AI, and the way I think about this, as if Silicon Valley led the way in the American economy for the last ten years, I want to make sure it's the Ohio River Valley for the next ten years, and that's my vision for taking the state to the next level."

Trump made a pair of key endorsements for the 2026 gubernatorial races with Ramaswamy in Ohio and Rep. Byron Donalds in Florida as both states' governors — Republicans Mike DeWine and Ron DeSantis, respectively — are slated to term out after next year.





Vivek Ramaswamy speaks before Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump, takes the stage at the campaign rally at Madison Square Garden on October 27, 2024 in New York City.  (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

If elected, Ramaswamy's plans for the Buckeye State include embracing the "drill baby drill" message to accommodate the increasingly-demanding age of AI data centers, focusing on "merit-based pay" for employees in the education realm, taking school choice to the "next level" with emphasis on school choice and helping students excel in reading, writing and math to set a new .

"I want to lead Ohio to be the best state in the nation, to generate wealth and to raise a young family, and to give your kids a world-class education," he said. "I want to turn our state into a kind of special economic region at the heart of the country, free of red tape, free of bureaucracy. The state where the American dream is actually the birthright for our children."



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_Fox News' Landon Mion contributed to this report_
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