The Ohio Conference of Teamsters has endorsed Vivek Ramaswamy for governor, marking a departure from the union’s past support for Democrats, his campaign confirmed on Friday.
Ramaswamy, a biotech entrepreneur and former 2024 presidential candidate, has already secured several union endorsements ahead of the 2026 gubernatorial race, according to the Ohio Dispatch.
His campaign told Fox News Digital that he also has backing from the Ohio State Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters, the Central Midwest Regional Council of Carpenters, the Cleveland Building & Construction Trades Council, and the Northwest Ohio Building & Construction Trades Council.
Notably, the Ohio State Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters and the Central Midwest Regional Council of Carpenters have also endorsed Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown in his re-election bid.
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Ramaswamy has also secured endorsements from President Donald Trump and the Ohio Republican Party, Fox noted further.
The Ohio Conference of Teamsters, representing more than 50,000 workers, previously backed former Rep. Tim Ryan, who has not yet announced whether he will enter the governor’s race.
Ramaswamy’s campaign told Fox News Digital earlier this month that nearly $220,000 of contributions raised in his opening months came from donors who had previously supported Ryan.
“The Teamsters are proud to endorse Vivek Ramaswamy for Governor of Ohio. Our members want a leader who will fight for good-paying jobs and strengthen the future for Ohio’s working families,” Patrick J. Darrow, president of the Ohio Conference of Teamsters, said. “Vivek has demonstrated a commitment to listening to labor and partnering with us to deliver real results, and we look forward to working with him.”
The Trump ally said he was “deeply grateful” for the Teamsters endorsement.
“This isn’t about left vs. right, it’s about up vs. down,” he continued. “We are building a movement that restores dignity to work, rewards those who keep our economy moving, and ensures every Ohioan has a fair shot at the American Dream. Together, we will make Ohio the best place in America to work, raise a family, and pursue a better life for the next generation.”
Former Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Amy Acton is currently the leading Democrat in the governor’s race, Fox noted.
“Vivek’s base plan remains [the] same: to get accomplishments at DOGE and then announce a run for governor shortly,” an Ohio operative familiar with Ramaswamy’s thinking who requested anonymity to speak more freely, told Fox News in January.
Now-former Ohio Lt. Gov. Jon Husted was expected to run to succeed Gov. Mike DeWine, who is term-limited, but DeWine appointed him to replace Vice President JD Vance in the Senate.
The 39-year-old Ramaswamy, who is a native of Ohio, launched a presidential campaign for the GOP nomination in February 2023 and has since risen from a long-shot candidate to a serious player in the GOP.
Ramaswamy campaigned on what he referred to as an “America First 2.0” agenda and was one of Trump’s staunchest supporters among the field of rivals, praising Trump as the “most successful president in our century.” Notably, he refrained from ever directly criticizing now-President-elect Donald Trump during his campaign.
Ohio was once a solid battleground state but has shifted decidedly red over the past decade, with Republicans picking up most statewide offices and dominating the congressional delegation.
Shortly after Trump’s November victory, businessmen Elon Musk and Ramaswamy officially joined his administration to take on the role of recommending big cuts to government spending. Both Ramaswamy and Musk were vocal throughout Trump’s campaign about the need to reduce the size and power of the federal government.
“Together, these two wonderful Americans will pave the way for my Administration to dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies,” Trump said in a statement at the time.
