On Tuesday, Vivek Ramaswamy, a fervent supporter of Donald Trump, secured the Republican nomination for governor of Ohio, paving the way for him to lead the Rust Belt state.
According to US media reports, he defeated Casey Putsch, a car designer with an automotive-themed YouTube channel, in unofficial results for a spot in the general election.
Ramaswamy is a health technology entrepreneur who rose to national prominence during his failed 2024 presidential campaign against Trump. Later on, he endorsed Trump.

He concentrated on Democratic nominee Amy Acton, the former Ohio public health director who oversaw the state's response to the Covid epidemic and ran unopposed in the Ohio primary, despite running against Republicans.
Ramaswamy thanked Ohio voters "for getting us to this point" during a victory address and stated, "The real destination is in November."
In her own victory speech, Acton, who will run against Ramaswamy in the general election, stated that her goal in running for governor is to restore affordability in Ohio."It shouldn't be this hard," she remarked. "It is time to put working families first."
Term constraints prevent Republican Mike DeWine, the current governor of Ohio, from seeking reelection.
In a social media post on Tuesday, Trump praised Ramaswamy, saying, "I know Vivek well, competed against him, and he is something SPECIAL." He's smart, strong, and young."
On Tuesday, Vice President JD Vance, a former US Senate representative from Ohio, came to Cincinnati to vote for Ramaswamy and other candidates.Ramaswamy benefited from name recognition and shuffling in the high echelons of the state's Republican Party brought about by Vance's rise to the vice presidency, as the state has turned in favour of Republicans in recent years.In 2023, Ramaswamy emerged as a newcomer to the national political stage, using social media and podcast appearances to enhance his reputation. During the 2024 Republican presidential debates, his harsh attacks and mile-a-minute pace produced viral moments, but he withdrew early due to low voter support.
Before handing over management of the project to Elon Musk, Ramaswamy was a key Trump surrogate during the 2024 presidential campaign and helped launch Trump's Department of Government Efficiency.Ramaswamy eliminated the majority of rivals from the Republican primary field when he declared his intention to run for governor of Ohio. He has used his personal wealth to support his campaign; according to The Columbus Dispatch, he lent his company $25 million (£18.4 million).
His win paves the way for a general election campaign centred on the COVID-19 pandemic's aftereffects.At the height of the crisis, Acton played a prominent role as the state's director of public health. Compared to other Republican-controlled states, Ohio responded to the epidemic more moderately under DeWine's direction. However, as the illness spread, Ohio postponed its 2020 presidential primary and banned in-person meals.

When Ramaswamy announced his desire to run for governor of Ohio, most of his opponents were eliminated from the Republican primary. According to The Columbus Dispatch, he lent his business $25 million (£18.4 million) in order to finance his campaign.
His victory opens the door for a general election campaign focused on the consequences of the COVID-19 outbreak.Acton was the state's director of public health during the peak of the crisis. Under DeWine's leadership, Ohio responded to the pandemic more cautiously than other Republican-controlled states. However, Ohio outlawed in-person meals and postponed its 2020 presidential primary as the disease spread.

In Tuesday's primary election, seven Republican senators in Indiana who opposed Trump's redistricting proposal were up against opponents.
One of the Trump-backed contenders has lost, but five of them have defeated the incumbents. The seventh race's outcome is yet unknown.
Last December, the Indiana Republicans rejected Trump's demands to approve a vote plan that would benefit their party in the November midterm elections, defying his heavy pressure.
Last year, all ten Democrats and 21 Republicans in the Senate worked together to derail the redistricting plan in one of the US's most conservative states.
Republicans who opposed the effort ran the risk of losing their seats, Trump said at the time.