On January 20, Sen. JD Vance (R-OH) will be inaugurated to serve as President-elect Donald Trump's vice president. Vance currently serves as the senior senator from Ohio, but he won't for much longer. He announced on Thursday night that he'll resign at midnight.
Fox News' Aishah Hasnie reported on the timeline and also shared a statement from Vance, which referenced his time serving as senator, a role he was elected to in November 2022, as well as his promises when it comes to serving as vice president.
VANCE statement https://t.co/ndK6zhPRsT pic.twitter.com/G0ucQSEK5Z
— Aishah Hasnie (@aishahhasnie) January 9, 2025
Vance was selected as Trump's running mate at the RNC last July in Milwaukee. He served as a particularly effective campaign surrogate, and was never afraid for media appearances, including and especially the Sunday shows. He often appeared on multiple shows on any given Sunday, while Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Gov. Tim Walz (D- MN) couldn't be bothered by such media appearances. Walz didn't appear on "Fox News Sunday" until October, and even then it was a pitiful performance.
During October's vice presidential debate, Vance had a particularly good performance and emerged victorious in many snap polls, a preview of how he would win in the hours after November 5, approximately a month later.
Without Vance, Republicans will have 51 senators, as Sen.-elect Jim Justice (R-WV) has not been sworn in yet.
Gov. Mike DeWine (R-OH) is set to pick Vance's replacement. Such a person will serve with Republican Sen. Bernie Moreno, who was just elected last November after he beat vulnerable Democratic incumbent Sherrod Brown in a true "Toss-Up" race for the 2024 Senate cycle. With such a win on Election night, Republicans officially gained control of the chamber.
As Hasnie also reported, however, we will not know of a replacement tonight, though she says DeWine at Mar-a-Lago with Trump, and could thus very well be discussing the matter with the president-elect.
DeWine reportedly wants someone who will serve a long time and "with distinction," who can win the special election in 2026 and run in 2028, which of course makes sense when every Republican seat is needed.
As Townhall has been covering, some potential names include Republican Lt. Gov. Jon Husted and Rep. Mike Carey of Ohio's 15th District, though the Republicans' majority in the House is particularly narrow, especially as Trump has pulled several from the chamber to serve in his administration. Another potential name is Secretary of State Frank LaRose, who ran in the Republican primary last March.
Ohio Gov DEWINE will not announce a decision tonight on VANCE’s replacement.
— Aishah Hasnie (@aishahhasnie) January 9, 2025
But he is at MAL with TRUMP tonight along with other R Govs.
So TRUMP has the opportunity to weigh in if he wanted… every R matters to get his agenda done.
I’m told DEWINE wants to choose someone who will serve a long time and “Serve with distinction.” He wants someone who can win the special election in 2026 and run in 2028. He wants a workhorse, someone who will do the legislative work not just the PR/cable TV work.
— Aishah Hasnie (@aishahhasnie) January 9, 2025