Vice President-elect JD Vance resigned his Ohio Senate seat last week as his and President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration draws near. With the resignation, a Senate seat is now vacant.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine is tasked with appointing a replacement to fill the seat. Suddenly, all eyes are back on Vivek Ramaswamy for the role.
The entrepreneur and former Republican presidential candidate removed himself from consideration two months ago. However, Politico reports that Ramaswamy met with DeWine at the governor’s mansion over the weekend.
Trump has also privately encouraged Ramaswamy to consider the appointment if DeWine extends an offer, The Washington Post first reported.
DeWine has stated that he wants to appoint someone capable of winning the 2026 special election to finish Vance’s term and retain the seat in 2028.
“Neither Governor DeWine nor our office has commented on any possible candidates for the pending appointment,” Dan Tierney, DeWine’s press secretary, said in a statement.
Shortly after the 2024 presidential election, Trump tasked Ramaswamy with co-leading the newly proposed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) alongside tech mogul Elon Musk.
Ramaswamy, the son of immigrant parents from India, grew up in the Cincinnati area and attended Harvard and Yale.
It remains unclear what would happen to Ramaswamy’s position with DOGE if he accepts the Senate appointment, as DOGE is not an official government agency.
