Cincinnati-area native Vivek Ramaswamy to address the Republican National Convention

Cincinnati-area native and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy will grab the spotlight tonight as one of the featured speakers at the Republican National Convention, according to a list of speakers released by the organizers.

Ramaswamy will speak tonight amid speculation that he could be one of the candidates for Sen. JD Vance's Senate seat should Vance become vice president. Former President Donald Trump on Monday announced Vance as his running mate.

Ramaswamy told The USA Today Ohio Network that he'd "strongly consider" the job but would need to consult with Trump on"how I could maximize my impact on this country."

Who is Vivek Ramaswamy?

Ramaswamy, 38, has risen from political obscurity in the past two years to become a household name in Republican politics.

Ramaswamy's campaign for the 2024 Republican nomination lasted 11 months before he suspended it in January after a fourth-place finish in the Iowa Caucuses.

Many of the Republican delegates in Milwaukee at the convention said Ramaswamy has impressed them but they want to hear more from him.

One of those delegates who will listen tonight is Greg Simpson, the former Clermont County GOP chairman.

Simpson said he likes Ramaswamy but hasn't heard anything compelling from him.

"I listened to him," Simpson said. "I didn’t see anything about how in the world we’ll deal with the deficit. I'd like to see what ideas he has to fix this."

Grew up in Evendale, graduated from St. Xavier

Ramaswamy lives in the Columbus region but grew up in the Cincinnati-area suburb of Evendale. He graduated as valedictorian of his high school in 2002 from the Jesuit-run St. Xavier. He then earned degrees from Harvard and Yale before he made a fortune in the biotech field, a fortune estimated by Forbes to be $1 billion.

He moved back to Ohio in 2019, buying a home in Butler County just north of Cincinnati. He began making noise in Republican politics, penning "Woke, Inc.: Inside Corporate America's Social Justice Scam," and other books decrying "wokeness.

Jennifer Barlow, a delegate from Fairfield Township just north of Cincinnati, said she could see Ramaswamy as a senator.

"I think he's very smart and outspoken," Barlow said. Whether he's the best candidate for senate, Barlow said she didn't know. She also mentioned Lt. Gov. Jon Husted and Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost as possible Senate candidates.

"But I think Vivek can do anything."

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: RNC to feature Vivek Ramaswamy tonight