Washington – Newly elected President Donald Trump is returning Into the White House next year after a decisive victory in the 2024 elections. And he is going to bring many MPs with him to complete his administration Senator JD Vance elected vice president To Representative Elise Stefanik As his choice for Ambassador to the United Nations
With the move, lawmakers will have to vacate their seats once the new Congress begins in January, speeding up the process of replacing them. This process varies between houses and states.
Here's how the vacancies will be filled:
Filling vacancies in the Senate
The rules for how a Senate vacancy is filled vary across states. In 45 states, the governor appoints replacements to serve until the next election, while in only five states – Kentucky, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin – vacancies are filled by early special elections.
Trump chose Vance, an Ohio Republican elected to the Senate for the first time in 2022, as his running mate in July, prompting her departure from the Senate to serve as vice president after the election. and trump is expected To nominate Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida as his nominee for secretary of state, a Cabinet post that requires confirmation by the Senate.
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In both Florida and Ohio, the governor appoints a replacement to serve until the next statewide election. Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and Florida Governor. Ron DeSantis will appoint someone To fill the respective seats until a special election is held in 2026. The winner of the 2026 election will serve out the remaining terms of Vance and Rubio, meaning that person would have to run for re-election in 2028.
Both DeWine and DeSantis have a long history with Trump, with the Ohio governor being one of the few prominent Republicans who declined to endorse Trump's 2024 bid. And DeSantis' relationship with Trump was similarly strained after the two faced off in the GOP presidential primary earlier this year. But both Republican governors are expected to act in the best interests of the party, especially after Trump's decisive victory.
It remains to be seen who the governor will appoint to replace Vance and Rubio. In Ohio, names such as Secretary of State Frank LaRose, State Senator Matt Dolan and former Ohio GOP Chairwoman Jane Timken have been circulating, as well as several lawmakers who represent Ohio in the House.
Many possibilities have emerged for this in Florida DeSantis' appointment, It also includes Trump's daughter-in-law, Republican National Committee co-chair Lara Trump. DeSantis' chief of staff James Uthyer and Florida Lieutenant Governor Janet Nunez are also among the names named, along with Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody and former Florida House Speaker Jose Olivia.
filling vacancies in the house
Vacancies in the House are filled by special elections. But the timing of those elections may vary.
trump Stefanik was selectedThe current Republican conference chair is preparing for a special election to fill her seat representing New York's 21st congressional district, to serve as their ambassador to the United Nations. The district, which Stefanik won by more than 20 points in her re-election bid last week, is entirely red, making it a safe seat for Republicans in a special election. But it will remain vacant until a special election is held — a deadline that has been set by Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul and could take up to 90 days — in what is expected to be a narrow Republican majority in the House.
Representative Michael Waltz, who was Trump selected To serve as his National Security Advisor, also represents a solidly red district in Florida. His seat will also be filled by a special election, and DeSantis is expected to work to set an early deadline to replace him.