With several GOP senators moving up in the world and filling Trump's leadership roles, the empty seats they leave in the upper chamber must be filled.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis filled Sen. Marco Rubio's seat this week, selecting Florida AG Ashley Moody as his replacement. Now, Vice President-elect J.D. Vance's Ohio Senate seat will have to be filled, and some of the prospects are surprising.

According to the New York Post, President-elect Donald Trump is reportedly supportive of Vivek Ramaswamy filling Vance's soon-to-be-vacant Senate seat. 

Vance formally stepped down from his Senate seat earlier this week as he prepares to assume the role of vice president in Washington D.C.

What's going on?

Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine now has the duty of filling Vance's empty seat until a special election that will be held in 2026, and all eyes are on the governor to see who he will ultimately select for the job.

According to sources familiar with President-elect Trump's conversations, the incoming president is interested in the possibility of Ramaswamy, who he tapped to lead his DOGE initiative, filling Vance's seat.

Not only that, but the same source told the outlet that Ramaswamy is interested in taking the seat if the governor makes the offer.

Trump supports Vivek Ramaswamy taking JD Vance’s Ohio Senate seat: source https://t.co/Nn2wdkoqHp pic.twitter.com/Hf5IqL512L

— New York Post (@nypost) January 15, 2025

On Thursday, Gov. DeWine said that he would ultimately make his decision by next week, but stopped short of naming who might be on his shortlist of candidates. He released a statement explaining what he is looking for.

"I’m looking for someone who really knows Ohio, who understands this state, someone who has experience, someone frankly, who is a hard worker," the governor said.

Previous interest

Prior to being named a co-chair to helping billionaire Elon Musk run the incoming Department of Government Efficiency, Ramaswamy expressed early interest in filling Vance's Senate vacancy, but later withdrew his name from consideration.

"This means I’m withdrawing myself from consideration for the pending Senate appointment in Ohio. Whoever Governor DeWine appoints to JD’s seat has some big shoes to fill. I will help them however I can," Ramaswamy wrote on X after Trump selected him to run DOGE.

One of the primary benefits of Ramaswamy taking the seat would be that he could help push DOGE initiatives through Congress.

Only time will tell who the Ohio governor selects, but many in the MAGA world are hoping Ramaswamy gets the call.