Vivek Ramaswamy, who hopes to make Ohio governor his first elected office, has selected a seasoned Columbus politico as his running mate.

Ramaswamy has chosen Ohio Senate President Rob McColley as his lieutenant governor. McColley has represented a rural state Senate district in the Toledo area since 2017. His colleagues selected him to his legislative leadership position at the beginning of last year.

In a statement issued Wednesday morning, Ramaswamy, who’s never held elected office before, said he picked McColley because of his experience in state government.

“I’m an entrepreneur, not a politician, and selected Rob to be a governing partner who can help advance our ambitious legislative agenda,” Ramaswamy said. “Rob is a proven conservative leader, and he is committed to my vision to make the American Dream a reality for every Ohioan.”

The pair will be the youngest duo running for governor in at least recent memory. Ramaswamy recently turned 40, while McColley is 41.

A spokesperson for Ramaswamy’s campaign confirmed McColley’s selection on Tuesday night. The Rooster, a Columbus political blog, was first to report the choice.

Ramaswamy is expected to officially announce his choice at an event in Cleveland on Wednesday. His campaign has billed the event as a “special announcement” – helping make the imminent announcement a poorly kept secret.

The announcement comes in the final weeks before a Feb. 4 deadline for candidates to file their official paperwork to get their names on the ballot. That includes officially selecting a potential running mate.

It also comes the same week that Ramaswamy’s campaign announced it raised nearly $8.9 million in the second half of 2025 – which would bring the campaign’s total fundraising haul to nearly $20 million, a record-setting sum for the year before an election. The campaign is required to file a detailed report later this year.

Both Ramaswamy and Democratic candidate Dr. Amy Acton are running to replace Republican Gov. Mike DeWine, who will leave office at the end of the year because of term limits. The primary election will be held in May, followed by the general election in November. 

What does the Ohio lieutenant governor do anyway?

Ohio’s lieutenant governor position is comparable to the U.S. vice president – both are impressive titles that carry little formal power, beyond being next in line in succession should a governor unexpectedly die or otherwise leave office. 

Lieutenant governors typically serve in the governor’s cabinet, and traditionally are appointed to run a state department. The role carries a potentially larger salary than the $186,867 set for the position in state law. 

But traditionally, a running mate carries political responsibilities. Governors typically try to choose a candidate who can help with fundraising or bring other relationships to the campaign. They also often look for someone who has a contrasting professional experience or personal background. 

The job also can serve as a springboard for higher office – DeWine served as lieutenant governor in the early 1990s, for instance – although no Ohio lieutenant governor has ever been directly elected as state governor. 

More about McColley

In McColley, Ramaswamy is choosing someone with longstanding relationships in the state legislature. He was first elected to the Ohio House in 2015, and was appointed to fill a vacant Senate seat two years later. Governors run the state government and can help set its legislative agenda, but ultimately require cooperation from the legislature to pass new laws and approve state funding.

McColley’s barred from running for reelection because of term limits and had been considering his political future. As he’s made moves to potentially run for a Toledo congressional seat held by Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur, McColley also has been semi-openly auditioning to be Ramaswamy’s running mate.

He appeared alongside him to address reporters at an Ohio Republican Party meeting in May where the party endorsed Ramaswamy. He also wrote an op-ed in the Columbus Dispatch this week defending Ramaswamy from the “identity politics” used by right-wing, online critics who have made an issue out of Ramaswamy’s background as a child of first-generation Indian immigrants.

McColley grew up in Napoleon in Henry County, where he still lives with his wife and three children. He is an Ohio State University graduate who got his law degree from the University of Toledo in 2010, according to his official Senate biography.

Ohio Republican Party Chairman Alex Triantafilou called McColley “an outstanding choice” and “high respected” in a statement.

“In Senator McColley, Vivek gets a young yet highly seasoned legislator who knows how to get things done in Columbus,” Triantafilou said. “Together, they will work to put more money in Ohioans’ pockets, improve education and significantly reduce crime.”

In a statement, Ohio Democratic Party Chair Kathleen Clyde criticized the state budget bill McColley helped pass over the summer as cutting taxes for the rich while not adequately funding schools or child care.

“Voters are ready for change, and Ramaswamy’s decision to pick a running mate who has done the dirty work for special interests and billionaires in the statehouse is further evidence that we can’t trust him to fight for Ohio’s working families,” Clyde said.