Jockeying for the two vacant FCC seats — one Republican and one Democrat — has begun.
The front-runner: Indiana state senator Brandt Hershman, who has close ties with Vice President Pence, TVNewsCheck reports and Axios confirmed with industry insiders.
Other potential candidates include Republicans who served on the FCC transition team for Trump. They all have ties to the American Enterprise Institute:
- Jeffrey A. Eisenach
- Mark A. Jamison
- Roslyn Layton
Long-shot candidates, according to the report:
- David Quinalty, an aide to Sen. John Thune
- David Redl, aide for the House Energy and Commerce Committee
- Keith Murphy, government relations executive at Viacom
The Democratic seat will likely go to Jessica Rosenworcel, the long-time Democratic commissioner whose term expired in December.