Elon Musk has donated $5 million to a super PAC backing Vivek Ramaswamy’s campaign for Ohio governor, despite the pair’s publicized falling out last year after Ramaswamy was initially tapped to help Musk lead President Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency initiative.
The recently disclosed contribution went to V-PAC, the super PAC supporting Ramaswamy’s gubernatorial bid.
Musk’s contribution brings his political spending this election cycle to at least $90 million, making him one of the cycle’s largest donors. His biggest investment this year was in Kentucky Senate candidate Nate Morris, whose campaign ended after a Musk-backed super PAC spent roughly $10 million supporting his unsuccessful primary bid.
Despite their split last year, Musk publicly wished Ramaswamy well after he launched his gubernatorial campaign, signaling a thaw in their relationship.
“Good luck, you have my full endorsement!” Musk wrote on X.
Despite Ramaswamy’s departure from DOGE, he denied reports that they did not get along.
“I think that’s incorrect,” Ramaswamy said on Fox News’s Jesse Watters Primetime.
“But what I would say is, we had different and complementary approaches,” Ramaswamy said. “I focused more on a constitutional law, legislative-based approach. [Musk] focused more on a technology approach, which is the future approach.”
“No better person to lead that technology, digital approach than Elon Musk,” he added.
Ramaswamy, a wealthy biotech entrepreneur, has also invested $25 million of his own money into the race, giving him a significant financial advantage. He is set to face Democratic nominee Amy Acton, the state’s former health director, in November.
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The race is expected to be one of the nation’s most competitive gubernatorial contests. Last week, the Cook Political Report shifted the race’s rating from “Lean Republican” to “Toss-Up,” citing growing Democratic momentum, strong grassroots enthusiasm for Acton, and her campaign’s record-breaking fundraising. It marks the first time since 2018 that the Ohio governor’s race has been rated a toss-up.
Ramaswamy first rose to national prominence during the 2024 Republican presidential primary, where he ran against Trump before suspending his campaign and endorsing the eventual nominee.
