Vivek Ramaswamy fell silent after the massive H-1B row in which his stance was in favor of the program. After he criticized the American culture in that context, he became silent on social media. But now reports said he has meanwhile reemerged as a top contender for the senator post of Ohio which has been vacated by JD Vance. Ramaswamy was the tomost contender but he withdrew his name from the race after he was made a co-chief of the Department of Government Efficiency along with Elon Musk.
Washington Post reported that Donald Trump has encouraged billionaire biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy to consider filling Ohio’s vacant Senate seat should the post be offered to him. Ramaswamy publicly withdrew his name from consideration for the post in November, after Trump chose him to lead the “Department of Government Efficiency” panel along with billionaire executive Elon Musk. But the Ohio native has reemerged in recent days as one of the leading contenders for the Senate seat and is in advanced discussions with GOP leaders about the position, the report said.
JD Vance, who previously held the seat, officially resigned Friday to serve as Trump’s vice president. Under Ohio law, Gov. Mike DeWine (R) will appoint a replacement for the next two years, and then a special election on Nov. 3, 2026, will decide who serves until the term expires in 2029.
While the decision rests with DeWine, Trump has personally appealed to Ramaswamy to accept the appointment if offered, the people said. That last-minute message was conveyed within the past week. Ramaswamy has long planned to run for governor of Ohio in 2026, after completing his work with DOGE, which is supposed to wrap up operations by July 4, 2026.
Vivek Ramaswamy’s DOGE post is not a government post and he would not get any money from the government for his DOGE work. It is not known whether his DOGE post would forbid him for becoming the senator.
Ramaswamy, a Cincinnati native, ran for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination but dropped out last January and endorsed Trump. He has been friends with Vance since the two were at Yale Law School together in the early 2010s. Musk is also in favor of Ramaswamy occupying the Senate seat, one of the people said.
