Two years ago, then-presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy couldn’t stop extolling the virtues of cryptocurrencies.
In the race to become the 2024 Republican nominee for the White House, Ramaswamy has sprinkled his stump speeches with praise for Bitcoin (BTC) and token mining operations, standing firm against central bank digital currencies.
Now, presidential candidate Ramaswamy is slated to become Ohio’s next governor. And while he’s not exactly distancing himself from digital asset positions, he’s not putting them at the forefront of his campaign, despite considerable exposure to crypto investments and the interests of the Buckeye state.
2023 X Post in CBDC. Source: Vivek Ramaswamy
In his 2024 presidential run, Ramaswamy was frequently issuing statements opposing central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), praising Bitcoin (BTC) and its mining operations, and frequently attending industry events as a keynote speaker.
After Donald Trump won the presidency, he tapped Ramaswamy to lead the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, alongside Elon Musk. Ramaswamy left without ever officially becoming part of the administration.
Before announcing a run for the office of Ohio governor in February 2025, he has been posted In support of the Ohio Strategic Cryptocurrency Reserve Act, a state bill that would allow for the creation of a strategic bitcoin reserve. In September 2025, Strive, the wealth manager he co-founded in 2022, announcement Bitcoin plans to enter the digital asset market with bond ETFs, focusing on bonds issued by companies that acquire BTC.
Cointelegraph reached out to the Ramaswamy campaign but did not receive a response to repeated requests for an interview.
Crypto as an official candidate
After officially launching his campaign, Ramaswamy initially keep He made similar statements during his presidential run, speaking at the Bitcoin for America conference in March and Bitcoin 2025 in May.
His campaign website accepts donations in crypto, and he has financial support from the co-founders of the Trump family’s crypto company, World Liberty Financial: Chase Herro, Jack Folkman and Zachary Wittkoff, who each donated a maximum of $16,615.
There are also other organizations associated with the crypto industry donation million dollars to Ramaswamy’s super political action committee (PAC) “V-PAC: Victors, Not Victims,” including $20 million from Susquehanna International Group co-founder Jeff Yass, $6 million from NYDIG founder Ross Stevens, $5 million from billionaire Elon Musk and $5,000 from the Voter Project.
Ramaswamy retains his stake in Strive, which Report As of August 28, it held 23,156 BTC worth about $2 billion. An August filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission showed The candidate owns 5,693,897 shares in the company, worth more than $170 million as of Sept. 26. Report Individually held over $1,000 in BTC and Ether (ETH) through April through a Coinbase wallet.
Related: Crypto PACs move into Ohio race as US midterm elections 2024 loom
In September 2026, just a few weeks away from the elections, Ramaswamy’s public statements on digital assets and related policies seem to have diminished in contrast to his 2024 and even 2025 speeches. He did not address Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose’s September 17 notice. announcement Acceptance of cryptocurrencies to pay for state fees and services as of time of publication.
What’s different for Ohio voters in 2026? Data centers, for one
Ohio voters may be part of the reason Ramaswamy showed up to speak on crypto. The state had already targeted spending more than $40 million to support Republican Bernie Moreno’s Senate run in 2024.
Two years ago, Moreno defeated incumbent Democrat Sherred Brown, but history is beginning to repeat itself: Brown is now running against Republican John Husted for another chance at the Senate in next month’s election. Fairshake PAC initially pledged to spend $30 million to again oppose the Democrat, having already reported $11 million in ad buys.
To be sure, a survey conducted by Digital Currency Group in May 2024, months before the election, Recommended Ohio voters were more “negative toward crypto” than other US states, with 79% of the state’s respondents saying they have never held crypto and 77% having a negative view of digital currencies.
Data center sentiment has also become a contentious campaign issue for Ohio politicians in 2026. According to the Pew Research Center, there is was Ohio had 166 data centers as of April, giving the state more locations than anywhere else in the country. It is home to many crypto mining operations, including Cipher Mining, BitDear, and BIT Mining.
Public voting too showed That the majority of Ohio residents do not support their community data centers. Ramaswamy commitment Any plant built in the Ohio community in August would result in no electricity costs for residents and lower property taxes, while his Democratic opponent Amy Acton Recommended That “all gas, water and electricity costs need to be covered by data centers and their investors, not Ohio taxpayers or our community.”
As of September 22, RealClearPolling averages data showed With Acton holding a one-point lead over Ramaswamy, the race was essentially a toss up. Kalshi had more than $2 million in bets on an event deal last seen on Monday and favorable A Democratic candidate has a 66% chance of winning the governor’s race, similar difference of opinion In a polymarket contract.
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