Vice President-elect JD Vance announced Thursday that he will resign from the US Senate effective at midnight as he prepares for his new role in the White House.
Vance, 40, called it a “tremendous honor and privilege to serve the people of Ohio” in a letter to Republican Buckeye State Gov. Mike DeWine notifying him of his resignation from the Senate.
“To the people of Ohio, I extend my heartfelt gratitude for the privilege of representing you in the United States Senate,” Vance said in a separate statement.
“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,” he added. “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.”
Vance, who defeated Democrat Tim Ryan in the 2022 midterm elections, served as senator from Ohio for two years before Trump tapped him to be his running mate just before the Republican National Convention in July.
DeWine, 78, is now tasked with appointing a replacement for Vance in the upper chamber.
The Associated Press reported that the governor was at an event with Trump at Mar-a-Lago on Thursday evening, making it unlikely that he would announce Vance’s replacement before Friday.
Whomever DeWine appoints will hold the Senate seat until a special election is held in November of 2026.
The winner of that election will serve out the remainder of Vance’s term, which ends in 2028.
DeWine has refused to hint at whom he might be considering for the Senate seat.
“I’m not ready to make an announcement yet, but the announcement will be coming soon,” he told reporters on Wednesday, according to the AP.
However, Lt. Gov. Jon Husted, who accompanied DeWine on a recent trip to Trump’s Palm Beach, Fla., estate, is considered the front-runner for spot.
Husted, a Republican, is the former speaker of the Ohio House, state senator and two-term secretary of state.
Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, Treasurer Robert Sprague, Rep. Mike Carey (R-Ohio), state Sen. Matt Dolan, former GOP state chair Jane Timken and GOP attorney and strategist Mehek Cooke have also expressed interest in the job.
