Ohio heads to polls as Ramaswamy hopes to lock in as Republican candidate for governor – US politics live

Ohio heads to polls as Ramaswamy hopes to lock in as Republican candidate for governor Hello and welcome to the US politics live blog. Former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy is hoping to lock in his position as candidate in the race to become Ohio governor. Much of the Trump-endorsed biotech entrepreneur’s campaign has been spent focused on November’s election, as he positions himself for an expensive run against Dr Amy Acton, a former state health director running unopposed for the Democrats. Contests on the ballots also will set the stage for Ohio’s third competitive US Senate race in the last four years, as well as a handful of US House races that are expected to be closely fought in the fall. Every statewide executive office is open this year due to term limits, but the governor’s race has captured the bulk of the attention so far, AP reports. Ramaswamy, a 2024 GOP primary presidential candidate, swept onto the state’s political scene early last year. Then-senator JD Vance was ascending to the vice presidency and front-running gubernatorial candidate Jon Husted was being appointed to replace him in Washington. Though he is a newcomer in state politics, Ramaswamy’s national profile, tech industry connections and proximity to Trump landed him the Ohio Republican Party’s endorsement. With it, he cleared a prospective field that included the sitting state attorney general, state treasurer and lieutenant governor. …