Even before he officially joined the governor’s race, Republican Vivek Ramaswamy had all of the momentum on his side.

While the biotech entrepreneur and short-lived presidential candidate has never held elected office before, he was seen as the 2026 gubernatorial front-runner before his Feb. 24 announcement.

Then just a few hours after declaring, President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social about Ramaswamy: “I know him well, competed against him and he is something SPECIAL. He’s Young, Strong and Smart! Vivek is also a very good person who truly loves his Country. He will be a GREAT Governor of Ohio, will never let you down, and has my COMPLETE AND TOTAL ENDORSEMENT!”

When Trump — the only Republican presidential candidate to win Ohio in three consecutive elections — endorsed candidates in this state, it came much closer to the Republican primary. Trump’s endorsement weighed heavily in the U.S. Senate victories in Ohio of Republicans J.D. Vance and Bernie Moreno in 2022 and 2024, respectively. Of course, Vance is now Trump’s vice president.

But in this case, Ramaswamy wasn’t asleep before Trump posted his support for him.

Ramaswamy quickly responded on X, formerly Twitter, “Thank you President Trump. I’m truly honored to have your endorsement. We’re behind you all the way & we will Make Ohio Great Again!”

Ramaswamy’s campaign platform includes eliminating income and property taxes, and said he would make Ohio the first state in the country to implement merit-based pay for school teachers and administrators. Both are very tall orders.

Ramaswamy also said he would install work requirements for those who receive Medicaid. Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, recently sought Medicaid work requirements through the federal government.

You can tell the impact Ramaswamy had on the race based on the reactions.

Attorney General Dave Yost, a Republican running for governor, said he welcomed Ramaswamy “to the race however long he sticks around. We’ll see if he actually stays in. Mr. Ramaswamy quit on President Trump and DOGE on day one, he quit on Ohio and moved his company to Texas, and he quit his presidential campaign after a devastating fourth-place finish in Iowa.”

Dr. Amy Acton, DeWine’s former state health director during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic and the lone Democrat seeking the gubernatorial seat in the 2026 race, said: “It’s clear Vivek Ramaswamy doesn’t know the same Ohioans I do. Where he sees laziness and mediocrity, I see our strength, our grit and our opportunity. Where he sees an opportunity to gut Medicare, Medicaid and attack a woman’s right to choose, I know my job as governor will be to stand up for Ohioans against powerful billionaires and bad actors who don’t have our best interests at heart.”

Acton was referring to a Dec. 26 post on X from Ramaswamy in which he wrote American culture prefers “mediocrity over excellence,” and that he wanted an American culture “that once again prioritizes achievement over normalcy, excellence over mediocrity, nerdiness over conformity, hard work over laziness.”

The Democratic Governors Association also chimed in with Emma O’Brien, its communications adviser, saying Ramaswamy’s “ideas are dangerous, unhinged and incredibly unpopular,” and “his click-bait agenda would be a disaster for Ohioans.”

Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel hasn’t ruled out a run next year for governor. During a recent visit to Youngstown to participate in the announcement of a $62.2 million innovation hub for aerospace and defense, Tressel was again asked about a potential bid.

Again, he didn’t say very much and didn’t address Ramaswamy or Trump.

I asked if he wouldn’t run for governor without DeWine’s blessing, Tressel said, “I certainly wouldn’t do anything without conversation(s) with people who have done something very, very well. That’s for sure.”

Tressel will be the keynote speaker at the Medina County Republican Party’s Lincoln Day dinner May 15. Tressel lives in the county.

Ramaswamy is the keynote speaker at several county Republican Lincoln Day dinners, including Mahoning’s April 3 event with tickets selling well. Yost is the main speaker at Trumbull’s April 22 event with the party planning to have Ramaswamy speak later this year.

Early polls show Ramaswamy with a large lead in the governor’s race. All of those polls were done before Ramaswamy officially announced — though his candidacy was no secret — and before Trump’s endorsement.

Those polls, at least the ones that have been made public, don’t include Tressel as a candidate.

A Bowling Green State University poll shows 33% of those asked have a favorable opinion of Tressel compared to 14% who have an unfavorable opinion. A majority, 53%, don’t have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of him.

The same poll had Ramaswamy at 36% favorable and 35% unfavorable with 28% without an opinion.

For Yost, it was 23% favorable, 23% unfavorable and 54% without an opinion.

Acton was at 25% favorable, 18% unfavorable and 57% without an opinion.

That poll was done between Feb. 14 and 21 of 800 registered voters with a 4% plus-minus margin of error.

David Skolnick covers politics for The Vindicator and the Tribune Chronicle.