CNN
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President-elect Donald Trump has privately encouraged Vivek Ramaswamy to consider a nomination for the U.S. Senate seat recently vacated by Vice President-elect JD Vance if Ohio Governor Mike DeWine offers him the job, according to a close source discussions.
Ramaswamy, a former biotechnology entrepreneur and 2024 Republican presidential candidate, has already been tapped by the president-elect to help lead the Department of Government Effectiveness, an advisory board aimed at identifying budget cuts in the federal government .
Ramaswamy’s preference would be to focus on his role in DOGE and run for governor of Ohio in 2026, according to the source, but he is open to the Senate position if “everyone wants” him. he occupies the seat.
The president-elect’s encouragement comes as Ramaswamy met with DeWine, a Republican, over the weekend, according to a source familiar with the matter.
“Neither Governor DeWine nor our office has commented on possible candidates for the current nomination,” DeWine press secretary Dan Tierney told CNN in a statement.
Trump’s insistence on Ramaswamy was first reported by the Washington Post. Politico first reported on the meeting between DeWine and Ramaswamy.
In a November social media post, Ramaswamy said he was “withdrawing from consideration for the pending Ohio Senate nomination,” pledging to “help” whoever DeWine chooses to replace Vance .
Before being named to co-lead the DOGE effort, Ramaswamy had expressed interest in the vacant position, according to a GOP source familiar with the conversations.
The source also told CNN that Trump had raised Ramaswamy’s name with DeWine in recent weeks.
CNN previously reported that Ohio Lt. Gov. Jon Husted was a front-runner for the Senate vacancy. Husted, however, has long considered running for governor and has the option of running in 2026 to succeed the term-limited DeWine.
An Ohio Republican official told CNN that uncertainty surrounding the race for the Senate seat contributed to Husted’s reluctance to accept a nomination. DeWine has yet to make an announcement, having told reporters during a visit to Mar-a-Lago last week that he expected to “have an announcement probably next week.” The governor’s office did not offer a more detailed timeline or indicate whether last-minute discussions had led to a delay.
A source familiar with the matter told CNN that DeWine had not made a decision as of Wednesday morning.
The source added that Husted resisted securing a Senate nomination because of his interest in running for governor. There is talk of former Ohio Republican Party Chairwoman Jane Timken reportedly getting the nod, but there are also concerns about her electability. And DeWine doesn’t want to choose a member of the House delegation given the narrow Republican majority, according to the source.
That created an opening for Ramaswamy, but there is resistance within the Ohio GOP regarding his possible nomination, according to the person familiar with the discussions.
DeWine has repeatedly stressed the importance of selecting someone he believes “will be a worker” in the Senate, pointing to the 12 years he spent serving in the House.
“The United States Senate rewards people who work hard,” DeWine said last week. “It’s not just about being on talk shows. It’s not just about talking.
CNN’s Jeff Zeleny and Manu Raju contributed to this report.