President-elect Donald Trump is quietly pushing entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy to fill the Senate seat vacated by Vice President-elect J.D. Vance, three sources familiar with the matter confirmed to the Washington Examiner.

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine recently met with Vivek Ramaswamy to discuss the vacant U.S. Senate seat left by JD Vance. Despite earlier withdrawing from consideration, Ramaswamy is now back in the mix for the appointment. DeWine aims to appoint someone who can win in both 2026 and… pic.twitter.com/VdY43ERY3s

President-elect is reportedly urging Vivek Ramaswamy, co-chair of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), to vie for the Senate seat being vacated by Vice President-elect J.D. Vance. The Washington Post first reported that Trump wanted Gov.

Former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has expressed interest in the Ohio U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Vice President-elect JD Vance.

Husted has been the state’s lieutenant governor since 2019. Ramaswamy is expected to remain with the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, effort for now.

Appointing Ramaswamy to the Senate would offer Ohio Lt. Gov. Jon Husted a cleaner shot to succeed DeWine by eliminating a potential competitor.“DeWine isn’t incentivized to pick Ramaswamy for Senate, but Vivek is also the one roadblock to Husted,” this person said.

Vivek Ramaswamy, who was also seen as a possible replacement for the vice president-elect, is widely expected to run for governor of Ohio instead.

Current Ohio Lt. Gov. Jon Husted was chosen by Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine Friday afternoon to fill Vice President-elect J.D. Vance’s U.S. Senate seat. Husted, who has served as the 66th lieutenant governor of Ohio since 2019 and was Ohio’s 50th Secretary of State from 2011-2019,