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.
“To the people of Ohio, I extend my heartfelt gratitude for the privilege of representing you in the United States Senate,” the Ohio Republican said in a statement announcing his resignation. “When I was elected to this office, I promised to never forget where I came from, and I’ve made sure to live by that promise every single day.”
Vance added he would do everything in his power to “help President Trump enact his agenda” for the American people to “make America stronger, safer, and more prosperous than ever before.”
With Vance’s resignation taking effect on Friday, DeWine now must choose a replacement to serve the next two years until Ohio’s 2026 special election, in which a candidate will be elected to complete the remainder of Vance’s six-year term.
Ohio lieutenant governor Jon Husted is the reported frontrunner to fill Vance’s Senate seat, but the Republican has not yet decided whether he will take the job.
“It’s completely Governor DeWine’s decision,” Husted told reporters on Wednesday. “I’m certainly considering all of the options, which is an important thing to do, but there’s no impending announcement. This is the governor’s decision and we’ll wait for him to make it.”
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 Vance’s 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 “coming soon.”
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.