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Ohio Republican Gov. Mike DeWine recently traveled to Mar-a-Lago in Florida to meet with Trump administration officials regarding his impending appointment of a new Senator to replace Vice President-elect J.D. Vance. 

A spokesperson for DeWine’s office responded to the Washington Examiner’s request for comment on reports that DeWine met with President-elect Donald Trump and Vance by saying that they would not confirm with whom the Buckeye state governor met or other details of the deliberations.

DeWine’s office also told the Washington Examiner that the Florida trip occurred “in the last two weeks” but did not provide a date.

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The Ohio governor told reporters Friday that he is continuing to interview candidates who are interested in replacing Vance for the Senate seat and that he will need to resign by inauguration day before he takes the oath of office for the first in line to the presidency. 

DeWine, who himself served as Senator from 1995 to 2007, is being meticulous with his appointment, previously stating that he wants whoever he chooses to win the special election in 2026 as well as the general in 2028.

Part of the difficulty in selecting a new senator is that DeWine himself is term-limited and will leave the governor’s office in 2027, making candidates to be his successor a key consideration as well. 

Possible heirs to the governorship are in the planning stages, including Lieutenant Gov Jon Husted (R-OH), is widely seen as DeWine’s preferred successor and has taken a position as the front-runner for Vance’s seat in recent days.

Jane Timken, current Republican National Committeewoman for Ohio, has been one of the most-named candidates to replace Vance, to whom she lost to in the 2022 primary.

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Others included in the short list include Sec. of State Frank LaRose, who lost his 2024 primary bid for Senate, and Robert Sprague, current Ohio Treasurer. 

Entrepreneur and Trump ally Vivek Ramaswamy, a Cincinnati resident, was previously floated for the position, but rumors of his possible appointment have dwindled since he has taken a position with the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, internal review committee.