Vice president-elect JD Vance will officially resign from his Senate seat at midnight Thursday, paving the way for his inauguration alongside President-elect Donald Trump in eleven days.
Vance notified Ohio governor Mike DeWine of his intent to leave the Senate for the White House in a brief letter. DeWine is responsible for appointing a successor to Vance, who only served in the upper chamber for two years.
โTo the people of Ohio, I extend my heartfelt gratitude for the privilege of representing you in the United States Senate,โ the Ohio Republican said in a statement announcing his resignation. โWhen I was elected to this office, I promised to never forget where I came from, and Iโve made sure to live by that promise every single day.โ
Vance added he would do everything in his power to โhelp President Trump enact his agendaโ for the American people to โmake America stronger, safer, and more prosperous than ever before.โ
With Vanceโs resignation taking effect on Friday, DeWine now must choose a replacement to serve the next two years until Ohioโs 2026 special election, in which a candidate will be elected to complete the remainder of Vanceโs six-year term.
Ohio lieutenant governor Jon Husted is the reported frontrunner to fill Vanceโs Senate seat, but the Republican has not yet decided whether he will take the job.
โItโs completely Governor DeWineโs decision,โ Husted told reporters on Wednesday. โIโm certainly considering all of the options, which is an important thing to do, but thereโs no impending announcement. This is the governorโs decision and weโll wait for him to make it.โ
Other Republican contenders for the soon-to-be vacant seat include former Ohio GOP chairwoman Jane Timken, state representative Jay Edwards, and state treasurer Robert Sprague. Vivek Ramaswamy, who lives in Ohio, ended speculation about his interest in filling Vanceโs seat. The one-time GOP presidential candidate is expected to lead the Department of Government Efficiency alongside Elon Musk.
DeWine said he is not yet ready to announce his pick but promised the announcement will be โcoming soon.โ
The governor and his lieutenant governor met with Trump and Vance at Mar-a-Lago last month ahead of the forthcoming appointment. The president-elect reportedly made no commitments to DeWine appointing Husted.







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