First on Fox: Vivek Ramaswamy is putting his money where his mouth is.
The multimillionaire biotech entrepreneur and business leader fueled his campaign for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination with over $30 million of his own money.
And in a Fox News Digital interview Thursday, Ramaswamy revealed that when it comes to his 2026 Republican campaign for Ohio governor, "we are prepared to invest at the same scale or greater."
"Whatever is required to ensure that we’re successful in really leading the state to the next level," Ramaswamy said. "Losing this race is not an option. Winning is the only option, and we’re going to win it. And I think that that will require resources of every form."
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Ramaswamy was interviewed the day after his campaign announced that he had raised nearly $10 million in a little over four months since he announced his gubernatorial candidacy in late February. Ramaswamy’s campaign touted that the money raked in set a "record for the largest first-quarter fundraising total in state history."
"I think it says that we have unprecedented support in our state, and that is a beautiful thing to see this early in a Republican race," Ramswamy said. "And I think that that’s a powerful signal of unity."
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Ramaswamy, who has been endorsed by President Donald Trump, noted he’s the only major Republican candidate right now in the race to succeed term-limited GOP Gov. Mike DeWine.
"I’m running unopposed in a Republican primary in a state that is certainly leaning reliably red, and I’m proud to say that we have united, not just the Republicans in Ohio, but we are beginning to draw support from a wide range of nontraditional Republican backers, entrepreneurs, younger people," he added.
State Attorney General Dave Yost launched a gubernatorial campaign but dropped out of the race in May.
Ohio Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel, a former longtime Ohio State University head football coach who later served as president of Youngstown State University, said earlier this year he was considering a run for governor. But speculation surrounding Tressel has faded in recent weeks after his initial comments were not followed by any announcement.
Asked if he has any concerns about facing a competitive primary, Ramaswamy said, "None, zero."
"I like Jim a lot. He and I have had some great conversations, none of which were about this race," Ramaswamy said. "I actually consider him to be a guy who is bringing a great spirit and tenor to Ohio. And I view Coach Tressel as an asset that I want to see our state continue to use to revive our sense of unity and spirit and ambition and pursuit of success."
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In the race for the Democratic nomination in the onetime battleground turned red state, former Ohio Department of Health Director Amy Acton launched a gubernatorial bid in January.
But all eyes are on former longtime Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown, who narrowly lost his Senate seat in last year’s election to GOP Sen. Bernie Moreno.
Brown is thought to be a potential candidate in either the Senate or gubernatorial races.
Ramaswamy said he "would love the Democrats to have a competitive primary while I continue to run unopposed in this race."
But he suggested it didn’t matter who the Democrats nominate because "it’s not who we’re running against, it’s what we’re actually running for."
"I think we have incredible strength," he added before predicting "that we’re going to defeat whoever we are up against by, I believe, a decisive margin."
The 39-year-old Ramaswamy launched his presidential campaign in February 2023 and quickly saw his stock rise as he went from a long shot to a contender for the Republican nomination, as part of a field of candidates challenging Trump.
He campaigned on what he called an "America First 2.0" agenda and was one of Trump’s biggest supporters in the field of rivals, calling Trump the "most successful president in our century."
Ramaswamy dropped his White House bid early last year after a distant fourth-place finish in the Iowa caucuses and quickly endorsed Trump, becoming a top surrogate on the campaign trail.
The candidate, who is known for his background as an immigrant, also emphasized the importance of educational reform as a key initiative for Ohio’s future. Ramaswamy has positioned himself to be the state’s ground zero for the broader project of restoring America’s leadership in education and other critical areas."
Fox News’ Alex Nitzberg contributed to this report