CLEVELAND — Vice President-elect J.D. Vance will resign his Senate seat at midnight Thursday, paving the way for him to be sworn in alongside President-elect Donald Trump on January 20.
Vance, R-Ohio, informed Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, who will choose his successor, of his plans in a letter Thursday afternoon.
“To the people of Ohio, I express my sincere gratitude for the privilege of representing you in the United States Senate,” Vance, who served in the chamber for two years, said in a statement first shared with NBC News. “When I was elected to this office, I promised to never forget where I came from, and I made sure to keep that promise every day.”
Vance added that voters had issued “an undeniable mandate to put America first, both at home and abroad,” and pledged to work with Trump to “implement his agenda” at home. over the next four years.
Vance, the author of “Hillbilly Elegy” and a former venture capitalist, became a political player in Ohio three years ago when Sen. Rob Portman, a Republican, announced his retirement. Vance entered a crowded Republican primary filled with better-known and better-funded candidates, but rode with Trump’s approval to victory.
Today, at age 40, he will be the third youngest vice president in history, behind John Breckinridge (36 when he took office in 1857) and Richard Nixon (40 years and 11 days in 1953).
DeWine, a Republican, will choose a replacement who serves at least until a 2026 special election to determine who fills the remaining two years of Vance’s term.
lieutenant governor of DeWine, Jon Hustedemerged as the leading candidate but has not decided whether or not he wants the job.
Other Republicans on the shortlist include former Ohio GOP Chairwoman Jane Timken, state Rep. Jay Edwards and state Treasurer Robert Sprague. DeWine and Husted met with Trump last month at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, but sources told NBC News that Trump made no commitments to Husted, who, amid Senate speculation, was preparing a campaign to succeed DeWine, who is term-limited, as governor.
“I’m not ready to make an announcement yet, but the announcement will come soon,” DeWine said at a news conference. press conference Wednesday with Husted at the Ohio Statehouse.
Husted told reporters at the news conference that he was “considering all options.”
Hayley Carducci, a spokeswoman for Husted, said Thursday that Husted had no additional comment.
DeWine addressed the Senate vacancy with reporters Thursday evening while attending an event with Trump and other GOP governors at Mar-a-Lago.
“We’ve definitely been working on this for a while, and I’ll probably have an announcement next week,” DeWine said.
When asked what Husted might think about the possibility of a date, DeWine declined to share details of their conversations.
“Well,” he said, “I’m not going to bring that up tonight.”