Washington, Aug 2026: US Vice-President JD Vance has endorsed Indian-American entrepreneur and Republican leader Vivek Ramaswamy for governor of Ohio, predicting that his fellow Republican will become the state’s next chief executive.
Vance made the endorsement on Friday during a speech at the Cleveland-Cliffs steel plant in Middletown, his hometown in southwestern Ohio. Speaking to steelworkers and political supporters, Vance praised Ramaswamy and invited him to stand and acknowledge the audience.
“We’ve also got, I believe, a great gubernatorial candidate, a great governor of Ohio, but also a great next governor of Ohio, my friend, Vivek Ramaswamy,” Vance said.
“But Vivek’s going to make a great governor for the state of Ohio,” he added.
The endorsement strengthens Ramaswamy’s position within the Republican Party as he seeks to build support for his gubernatorial campaign. Vance and Ramaswamy have developed close political ties, particularly through their shared support for President Donald Trump and the administration’s “America First” agenda.
Vance also used the occasion to recount an amusing incident involving Ramaswamy and his own six-year-old son, who is also named Vivek.
The Vice-President recalled taking his young son to a polling station when he returned to Ohio to vote in the Republican primary several weeks earlier. His son participated in a children’s mock ballot, choosing between options such as caramel apples and watermelon.
According to Vance, someone later posted online that he had taken “his son Vivek” to vote. An artificial intelligence-generated image was subsequently created showing Vance walking hand-in-hand with Ramaswamy towards a polling location.
Vance joked that there was no need to encourage Ramaswamy to visit the polling station because his own name was on the ballot.
“When your name is on the ballot, nobody needs to make you go vote,” he said, drawing laughter from the audience.
The endorsement came during an event primarily focused on manufacturing, trade and immigration policy. Vance appeared alongside political candidates and steelworkers as Cleveland-Cliffs announced a $1 billion investment in its Middletown operations.
Vance highlighted his family’s connection to the facility, noting that his grandfather had worked there as a welder for nearly four decades when the plant operated under the name Armco Steel.
The Vice-President criticised previous political and business policies that, he argued, encouraged American companies to shift manufacturing overseas while relying increasingly on foreign labour.
He said the administration wanted American companies to focus on training and hiring workers domestically as part of its broader manufacturing strategy.
Vance’s remarks, however, did not announce any new immigration regulation and did not specifically refer to the H-1B skilled-worker visa programme.
Ramaswamy entered national politics after launching his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024. Although he eventually ended his presidential bid, he went on to endorse Donald Trump and emerged as a prominent voice supporting the former President’s political agenda.
The son of immigrants from Kerala, Ramaswamy was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. He attended Harvard University and later Yale Law School before building careers in biotechnology and finance.
His political rise has also attracted attention because of his Indian-American background and his growing role within Republican politics. His campaign for Ohio governor could further highlight the increasing presence of Indian-American politicians in the US political landscape.
Vance’s endorsement is expected to give Ramaswamy an important boost as he seeks to consolidate Republican support in Ohio. The Vice-President’s backing also underscores the political relationship between the two figures and their alignment on several key issues, including economic nationalism, manufacturing and the broader “America First” agenda.
(Disclaimer :The content of this article is sourced from a news agency and has not been edited by the Mavericknews30 team.)
