DREAMS CRUSHED

Vivek Ramaswamy Misses Out on Senate Seat Despite Trump Support

It looks like Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine will appoint his lieutenant governor, Jon Husted, to the seat previously held by JD Vance.

Vivek Ramaswamy looks set to miss out on the Senate seat vacated by JD Vance, even after Donald Trump reportedly urged the DOGE co-star to go for it, NBC News reported, citing sources familiar with the matter.

The biotech entrepreneur, who was raised in Cincinnati, found himself in the mix for the seat even after he took himself out of consideration in November to co-lead the Department of Government Efficiency with Elon Musk, according to The Washington Post. JD Vance is of course vacating his seat to become Vice President of the U.S.

Politico stated that Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine met with Ramaswamy last weekend, but NBC now reports that he has been overlooked, in favor of the state’s Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted. Two sources told the publication that DeWine has called a press conference to confirm the news at 1 p.m. (EST) Friday.

The new Ohio senator will serve until an election in 2026, and one of DeWine’s main considerations when picking a candidate was that they must be seen as able to win a Republican primary next year.

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Ramaswamy floated the idea of running for Ohio governor in September last year, and the Washington Post reported Friday he will announce his candidacy soon.

It’s unclear how an appointment to the Senate would affect his role at DOGE, an advisory body tasked with cutting government spending, but both Trump and Musk were reportedly in favor of the idea.

But despite the WaPo report that Trump nudged Ramaswamy towards the vacant seat, it is believed that the president-elect hosted both DeWine and Husted at Mar-a-Lago to discuss the possibility of endorsing the latter, the NBC sources said on condition of anonymity.

Husted’s designs on replacing DeWine as governor next year were also discussed, the title reported. However, the MAGA chief reportedly made no commitment to any individual regarding the Senate or otherwise.

Under Ohio law, a new senator is needed to stand in for Vance for two years whilst he ascends to the V.P. role, before a special election will dictate who takes on the term until its expiry in 2029.

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