Asked Thursday if he’s committed to making that announcement this week, DeWine told Ohio reporters, “Well, we’ll have something later. No comment on that yet.”
When asked twice to clarify the timing of his coming announcement, DeWine twice responded: “Not too much later.” He refused to say whether it would come before Vance and Trump’s inauguration on Monday.
“The reason that we’ve not made an announcement yet — we’re getting close — is just the gravity of this decision, the importance of this decision,” DeWine told reporters. “The person that I pick may be there for a long time, they’re going to be one of only two Ohioans to represent us in the U.S. Senate...this is a huge job.”
DeWine’s cagey response is generally in keeping with how he’s publicly discussed the issue for months, but he’s cutting it close on a deadline he set for himself.
The term-limited governor, who has often found himself out of lockstep with a Trump-dominated GOP, has told reporters that he wants to pick someone who has an intimate understanding of Ohio, who can win Republican primaries in the modern political landscape, and who has the stomach to withstand two quick-turn elections soon after joining the U.S. Senate — one in 2026 to officially finish Vance’s term and the other for a new term in 2028.
Reports emerged early this year that Lt. Gov. Jon Husted was in pole position to be appointed by DeWine, but the announcement to make it official has yet to come.
On Wednesday, the picture shifted considerably after the Washington Post reported that Trump privately encouraged his ally Vivek Ramaswamy, a nationally prominent Ohio Republican, to pursue the role, despite Ramaswamy publicly withdrawing from DeWine’s consideration in November.
DeWine, standing next to Husted on Thursday, told reporters that he met with Ramaswamy last week but offered no additional details.
“I’ve met with a lot of people. We have a lot of good people,” he said.
Credit: Bill Lackey
Credit: Bill Lackey
Ramaswamy, a 39-year-old entrepreneur from Southwest Ohio, rose to prominence following his 2023 Republican presidential primary campaign where he separated himself from a pack of presidential hopefuls and consistently polled third behind Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, according to FiveThirtyEight.
Since November, Ramaswamy has been gearing up to lead the Trump-sanctioned Department of Government Efficiency alongside billionaire Elon Musk with the intent of slashing the size of the federal government.
Looming large over the vacancy is the 2026 Ohio governor’s race. DeWine, term limited, has already endorsed Husted as his successor, while Ramaswamy has been weighing his own campaign to become Ohio’s top executive. More big names, including Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, are expected to join the field soon.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Avery Kreemer can be reached at 614-981-1422, on X, via email, or you can drop him a comment/tip with the survey below.
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