Former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has expressed interest in the Ohio U.S. Senate seat that was vacated by Vice President-elect JD Vance, a person with direct knowledge of the biotech entrepreneur’s wishes told The Associated Press.
The 39-year-old from Cincinnati has assumed a leading role with billionaire Elon Musk in a non-governmental effort to cut government spending, regulations and personnel. The person with direct knowledge of Ramaswamy’s interest in the Senate seat spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a private discussion.
Ohio’s Republican Gov. Mike DeWine will appoint the successor to Vance, who was elected to the Senate in 2022 but is scheduled to be sworn in as Republican President-elect Donald Trump’s vice president on Monday.
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The person DeWine appoints will serve until December 2026. They would need to run again for the remainder of the term in November 2026.
“Neither Gov. DeWine nor our office has commented on any possible candidates for the pending appointment,” Dan Tierney, a spokesperson for the governor’s office, said in a statement.
Ramaswamy waged an outsider bid for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination last year but suspended his campaign after a fourth-place finish in Iowa’s leadoff precinct caucuses. Ramaswamy endorsed Trump, and became a regular surrogate for the campaign, headlining fundraisers in battleground states.
Ramaswamy had expressed interest in the Senate seat after the election, but originally took his name out of consideration as he was asked to help lead the Department of Government Efficiency, an outside effort with Musk to drastically reduce the size and cost of government.
A spokesperson for Ramaswamy did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
Ramaswamy’s renewed interest in the seat was first reported by The Washington Post.
