Vivek Ramaswamy, a Republican, launched his campaign to become governor of Ohio on Monday. He pledged that, if elected, he would push for merit-based compensation for teachers, the universal eligibility of publicly funded vouchers for schools and the elimination state income tax.

One Republican was pleased with what he heard. President Donald Trump endorsed Ramaswamy on Monday night over Attorney General Dave Yost, his sole primary opponent to date. The term of Ohio’s Republican Governor Mike DeWine is limited.

Ramaswamy is a biotech entrepreneur, investor and 39-year-old from the Columbus area. He spoke at campaign rallies in suburban Columbus as well as earlier that day in Cincinnati, his hometown.

Ramaswamy presented himself at Monday’s event as an outsider, who would, as Ohio’s governor, shake up the state’s government in the same manner that Trump challenged long-established federal institutions and norms via his Department of Government Efficiency Initiative.

Ramaswamy was the co-chair of that initiative up until last month. He unsuccessfully sought an appointment to DeWine’s U.S. Senate and started preparations for a run for governor.

This message also reflects Ramaswamy’s own populist policies, bold debate performances, and passionate defenses of Trump that catapulted him to national prominence.

Trump, in a post on his Truth Social account, following Ramaswamy’s rally on Monday, endorsed Ramaswamy as “young and strong” and “a good person who loves our Country.”

Here are more details on what Ramaswamy has said he will push for as governor:

Teacher merit pay

Teachers unions and other lobbying organizations have opposed the change in Ohio law that would pay teachers on performance instead of seniority. In 2011, the then-Gov. John Kasich signed such a measure into law via Senate Bill 5, a controversial collective-bargaining reform law, but it was overturned by Ohio voters later that same year.

Ramaswamy is yet to reveal the details of his merit-pay scheme.

Ohio income tax to be phased out

In recent years, there has been a growing number of Ohio GOP legislators who support the gradual elimination of state income taxes — something which was long considered to be a conservative pipedream.

Republicans such as DeWine, and House Speaker Matt Huffman from Lima, have shown hesitation in ending the income tax completely, stating that the substantial income-tax reductions they have passed over the past few years have already helped Ohio attract major economic development projects. The majority of Democrats have also objected to the income tax cuts because they say that they benefit disproportionately the wealthy.

Ramaswamy is yet to provide specifics on how he plans to reduce Ohio’s income taxes, which are currently divided into three brackets, based on the income level. The maximum tax rate in Ohio is 3.5%.

According to state statistics, Ohio collected nearly $10 billion in income tax revenue last fiscal year. State officials would have to either raise other taxes, such as the sales tax in Ohio, or demand a drastic reduction of state government if that revenue disappeared.

School voucher expansion

Ramaswamy urged that every family in Ohio be eligible for school vouchers for all schools, including private and home-schooled schools.

DeWine, along with state legislators, have already expanded the number of publicly-funded school vouchers. The state’s budget bill for 2023 offers universal eligibility while reducing the amount that families can receive as their income increases.

As state finances are now in a downward spiral as federal COVID-19 funds amount to billions of dollars, little has been said during budget negotiations this year about increasing that to provide full voucher scholarships regardless income.

Changes in education

Ramaswamy, in his capacity as governor:

Healthy food in school cafeterias

Citizenship Test for every senior high school student. The U.S. Citizenship test is required for graduation

Phones are banned in classrooms

Every school should have a policeman

Encourage vocational programs

Ramaswamy, who has never run for statewide offices before, or focused on Ohio-centric concerns central to the position he is now seeking, starts the campaign with a good name ID, built up through his presidential run and frequent appearances in the media, as well as the ability to use that name recognition to help raise money.

Trump’s endorsement propels him to the forefront of the GOP gubernatorial primaries, which are still young. The president’s support played a key role in other recent Ohio GOP primary races, such as the now Vice President JDVance’s win in the primary for the U.S. Senate in 2022 and the now U.S. Senator Bernie Moreno’s victory in the primary for the U.S. Senate last year.

Trump’s endorsement for Ramaswamy was not a surprise given Ramaswamy’s support of the president, and his assembly of a team of political figures with close ties to Vance. Vance is Trump’s heir political and Ramaswamy’s friend, as they both attended Yale Law School.

Ohio’s recent rightward shift should make the winner of the Republican primary for governor in 2026 the frontrunner in the general election in November 2026.

Yost’s opponent, who has been waging a gubernatorial race since last month, was not slow to slam him.

Yost stated, “I welcome Mr. Ramaswamy into the race for as long as he stays around.” “We’ll have to see if Mr. Ramaswamy stays in the race — he left President Trump and DOGE from day one. He also quit Ohio and moved his business to Texas. And he ended his presidential campaign in Iowa after finishing fourth.

Ramaswamy was ridiculed by the Ohio Democratic Party and Dr. Amy Acton who is a former director of state health. She is currently the only Democrat running for governor.

Both seized on Ramaswamy’s controversial comments made in social media last month to defend a federal immigration program that gives visas to highly-skilled workers. Some Trump supporters were outraged by the comments.

It’s obvious Vivek Ramaswamy does not know the same Ohioans as I do. Acton stated that he saw laziness and mediocrity where he did not. “Where he sees a chance to gut Medicare and Medicaid and attack the right of a woman to choose, I know that my job as Governor will be to stand for Ohioans and fight against billionaires who do not have our interests in mind.”

Ramaswamy called Acton a “knockoff of Anthony Fauci” during the rally on Monday night.