In 2012, I was invited to a conference held by the Milton Friedman Institute in Indianapolis. The institute invited 20 or so legislators from around the country to discuss school choice issues and how much progress had been made to that point.

Like most conferences, we heard from a variety of speakers, one of whom was Tony Bennett (not the singer and not the basketball coach), the superintendent of education from the state of Indiana. Bennett oversaw the institution of educational reforms including expanding school choice options for then-Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels.

Bennett made a great presentation and took questions when he was finished. One of the questions was how legislatures can be more effective in advancing school choice. His answer surprised me. He said that only governors can make significant and long-lasting reforms of any kind in states. This, of course, is not what a group of legislators wanted to hear.

In my 16 years in the Ohio General Assembly, I discovered that Bennett was fundamentally right.

Though a legislature can push incremental reforms, the governor of the state can affect change in a much more profound way.

In the last six months I have taken time to listen to what Vivek Ramaswamy has said about the future of our wonderful state. I also have listened to many thoughtful people about what could be accomplished. I have concluded that Ramaswamy will be a governor who will make bold plans and certainly have the courage to execute those plans.

That is why I am heartily endorsing Vivek Ramaswamy for governor of Ohio.

Freedom is celebrated by Americans in different ways throughout the year. Our federal and state Constitutions guarantee basic rights and freedoms unlike any other country in the history of the world, but the importance of freedom goes way beyond freedom for freedom’s sake. Every individual can use what God has given them, and their family and community have taught them if they are free to use their talents.

Although the freedoms guaranteed in our Constitutions are important, I contend that no one is truly free until they are economically free. That is, they do not rely upon their parents, the government or even their employer for their decision-making.

This is why our free-market system and rights guaranteed in the Constitution have been so successful in building a country that is the wealthiest and freest in the history of the world. Political leaders who maintain a system that allows individuals the opportunity to be free and not reliant on government should be supported in their efforts. The Ramaswamy focus on individual freedom and control is unique to my mind.

(Huffman, R-Lima, is speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives)