President Donald Trump‘s eldest son, Donald Trump, Jr., wrote an open letter on X to the Ohio Republican State Central Committee, asking members to endorse the MAGA-aligned former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy for Governor of Ohio.
Trump Jr. wrote: “I understand that early endorsements aren’t the norm, but these are not ordinary times. We have a country to save, and we don’t have any time or money to waste. President Trump endorsed Vivek, in one of his very first 2026 endorsements, for a reason: We need Vivek in Ohio, and Ohio needs Vivek as its Governor. Stand with us and support Vivek at your meeting on May 9th. Now is the time for Republicans to come together and secure victory in 2026.”
Dear Members of the Ohio Republican State Central Committee: I’m asking for you to stand with my father and endorse Vivek Ramaswamy for Governor of Ohio.
You were the FIRST state party in the nation to endorse my father in the last election cycle. We will never forget your…
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) May 8, 2025
Trump Jr’s letter has left some Republicans confused. As Mark Pukita — who ran in the 2022 Ohio U.S. Senate election and lost to now-Vice President JD Vance — replied, “Why does Vivek need this? He’s polling 70%+ in a GENERAL ELECTION poll. All this does is give the Ohio Republican Party reason to do primary endorsements in other contested, down ballot, races.”
Why does Vivek need this? He’s polling 70%+ in a GENERAL ELECTION poll.
All this does is give the Ohio Republican Party reason to do primary endorsements in other contested, down ballot, races. Something TRUE conservative Republicans in Ohio have been fighting for years.
This…
— Mark Pukita (@mpukita) May 8, 2025
Pukita added: “Something TRUE conservative Republicans in Ohio have been fighting for years. This is completely anti-grassroots & extremely disappointing. It either demonstrates a total lack of understanding of Ohio politics (from your federal perch), or a complete understanding and intentional disregard for the base.”