Ohio Governor Mike DeWine (R) is pushing the state's Republicans to withhold an endorsement from Vivek Ramaswamy, who is President Trump's pick to replace DeWine as governor.

As reported by NBC News, DeWine wants to delay an endorsement, with a view to possibly lining up his own successor before the May 2026 primary. He is reportedly mobilizing Republicans against endorsing anyone when the state party meets on Friday.

GOP governor blocks Ramaswamy

To win an endorsement, a candidate must receive support from two-thirds of the central committee's 66 members. Ramaswamy already has a major advantage in the primary that could prove to be decisive, having received an endorsement from President Trump on the day Ramaswamy announced his bid for governor.

Ramaswamy's campaign is being run by the political team of Vice President J.D. Vance, who sprang to national prominence after receiving a crucial Trump endorsement in a crowded Ohio Senate primary.

DeWine's attempt to block Ramaswamy is the latest chapter in a long-running rivalry between Trump and DeWine, who have often been at odds in the state's politics. DeWine endorsed Trump critic Matt Dolan in Ohio's Senate primary last year, only for Dolan to lose to Trump pick Bernie Moreno, who went on to defeat incumbent Democrat Sherrod Brown in the general election.

Some Republicans say the term-limited DeWine plans to recruit his lieutenant governor, Jim Tressel, a former college football coach and Youngstown State University president, as his successor.

"I think he would like to forestall an endorsement taking place, because I think he would like to see if he can convince Jim Tressel to run for governor,” one Republican said.

Meanwhile, some have complained that DeWine, who ironically pressured the party to endorse him for governor in 2018, isn't focusing his efforts on one alternative.

“There’s not a unified opposition to the endorsement,” said a committee member who spoke with DeWine.

Early frontrunner

Current polling shows that Ramaswamy is well ahead of Tressel and state Attorney General Dave Yost. DeWine said it is "much too early" to say who he will support in the May 5, 2026, primary.

Trump's endorsement is expected to go a long way in Ohio, a former swing state that Trump won by double-digits in November. A Ramaswamy ally, pointing to DeWine's history of opposing Trump, told NBC News that DeWine "will be remembered for being wrong on every major Republican fight."

Ramaswamy, a former biotech entrepreneur, became known during the 2024 presidential cycle as one of Trump's most vocal backers in a contentious Republican primary.

Ramaswamy was initially set to co-lead the Department of Government Efficiency with Elon Musk, but Ramaswamy made a change of plans after posting a viral tweet about an American culture of "mediocrity" that led to furious backlash.