Vice President-elect JD Vance underwent some minor surgery following a Senate swearing-in ceremony on Friday as the new Congress convened in Washington, D.C.
Fox News reports that the surgical procedure was “planned,” citing officials close to the VP-elect.
“The Vice President-elect is having long-planned, minor sinus surgery and will be back at work tomorrow,” Vance Spokesperson William Martin confirmed to the outlet.
Vance was on the hill before the operation as Vice President Kamala Harris swore in new senators.
A top contender to succeed Vance in the U.S. Senate recently visited President-elect Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate as the decision on the appointment approaches.
Under Ohio law, Republican Governor Mike DeWine will appoint Vance’s replacement to serve until a special election in 2026. That election will determine who completes the remainder of Vance’s term, which runs through 2028. The winner of the special election would then need to run again in 2028 to secure a full six-year term.
DeWine is expected to announce his decision in the coming weeks, with the new Congress scheduled to convene on January 3.
Earlier this week, DeWine traveled to Trump’s Palm Beach residence with Republican Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted, who is believed to be a top candidate to replace Vance, according to a report from News 5 Cleveland.
The governor’s office spokesman, Dan Tierney, informed Fox News that DeWine is seeking a “workhorse” who is “qualified and ready to earn the trust of Ohio voters for another term.”
In addition to Husted, DeWine is reportedly considering Mehek Cooke, a Republican attorney who served as a political and legal surrogate for Donald Trump in 2024 within the staunchly pro-Trump state.
Cooke has established herself as a powerful GOP fundraiser in Ohio and has defended the former president against politically motivated prosecutions across various media platforms.
Businessman and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy was initially seen as a leading contender for the Senate seat and had shown willingness to assume the role. However, he was recently appointed to a newly formed presidential task force focused on eliminating government waste, where he will collaborate with X owner Elon Musk. This appointment appears to temporarily remove Ramaswamy from consideration for the Senate position, although he has indicated an interest in running for governor in the future.
Additional candidates under consideration include State Senator Matt Dolan, a steadfast ally of DeWine who previously launched unsuccessful primary campaigns against Vance and Senator-elect Bernie Moreno.
Other potential nominees are former Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, who also competed in the primary against Moreno, and the state’s Republican Attorney General Dave Yost, as reported by Fox News.
“I’m always ready to answer the call of duty, but I’m also focused right now on doing the job Ohioans hired me to do,” LaRose told the outlet when asked for comment. “We delivered another secure, accurate and accessible election for Ohio voters, and that work continues. We need to certify the results on an expedited timeline to accommodate the electoral college meeting next month.”
“We’re still working with our boards of elections to process absentee ballots and help voters cure provisional ballots. We’ve got a potential recount in one congressional district race. We’re also not letting up the pressure on the Biden administration to give us the federal citizenship records we need to ensure the accuracy of Ohio’s voter rolls,” LaRose continued.
“There’s a lot to be done. I know Governor DeWine has an important decision to make, and I’m confident he’ll do what’s in the best interest of Ohio,” he added.
