Vice President-elect JD Vance will resign his Ohio Senate seat at midnight as he prepares for his new role a heartbeat away from the presidency.
Vance will take the oath of office alongside President-elect Donald Trump on Jan. 20, just two years after he first joined the U.S. Senate. His resignation − first reported by NBC News − clears the way for Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine to appoint another Republican to join newly minted Ohio Sen. Bernie Moreno.
Vance alerted DeWine to his decision in a letter Thursday, calling it a “tremendous honor and privilege to serve the people of Ohio.”
“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 said in a statement. “The American people have granted President Trump an undeniable mandate to put America first, both at home and abroad. Over the next four years, I will do all that I can to help President Trump enact his agenda. Together, we will make America stronger, safer, and more prosperous than ever before.”
It’s unclear when the governor will reveal Vance’s successor. DeWine said Wednesday that an announcement “will be coming soon,” but a spokesperson declined to provide additional updates Thursday. DeWine will attend an event at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort Thursday with governors from across the country, according to his office.
Several Republicans expressed interest in the Ohio Senate seat, but Lt. Gov. Jon Husted emerged as a frontrunner and joined DeWine at Mar-a-Lago last month. Sources previously told this newspaper’s statehouse bureau that Husted is weighing whether to accept the appointment or pursue his original plan to run for governor in 2026.
A Husted spokesperson declined to comment, but Husted said Wednesday that he’s “considering all of the options.”
Haley BeMiller covers state government and politics for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.
