Indiana State Senator Brandt Hershman Is Front Runner For FCC GOP Slot

Ajit Pai’s promotion to Federal Communications Commission chairman leaves the Republicans with a 2-1 majority at the agency for the foreseeable future, easing the pressure on President Donald Trump to fill the commission’s two vacant commission seats. But the jockeying for Trump’s nod for the additional slots has already begun.

Brandt Hershman, an Indiana state senator who worked closely with Vice President Michael Pence while he was Indiana governor, is the clear favorite for the FCC’s remaining GOP vacancy, industry insiders say. The leading candidate for the agency’s Democratic vacancy appears to be former-FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel. “It doesn’t really matter,” said one industry lobbyist as to who eventually gets the nod for the Democratic slot. In the wake of President Trump’s victory, industry insiders are far more interested in the pick for the GOP vacancy than the Democratic seat because it’s the Republican majority that will be calling the shots at the agency, at least for the next four years.