Ohio Sen. JD Vance’s new position as vice president-elect leaves an open Senate seat in the Buckeye State, where the state’s Republican governor will select his replacement from a growing list of possible choices.
State law dictates that Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine will select a Republican to take Vance’s spot in the Senate until a special election is held in November 2026 to determine who serves the rest of Vance’s term, which ends in 2028. The winner of that special election will then have to run again in 2028 in order to start a new six-year term.
“If Donald Trump is elected, then we will start our process to look at people and talk to people,” DeWine said last week. “Some people have already contacted me. I’ve already met with some people at their request.”
DeWine, widely regarded as part of the establishment wing of the Republican Party, is likely to face pressure from Trump loyalists to appoint a candidate in line with Trump’s agenda, while the more moderate wing of the party is likely to push more bipartisan candidates.
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The list of potential replacements from President-elect Donald Trump’s world includes former presidential candidate and Ohio native Vivek Ramaswamy, who has previously floated interest in the position.
“Donald Trump has cultivated a coalition of outsiders and independent thinkers who will transform the federal government and revitalize our state and country,” Ramaswamy told Fox News Digital on Wednesday. “The best way to determine who and how they impact change won’t be sorted out in the press.”
State Sen. Matt Dolan, who ran in the primary against Bernie Moreno and is an ally of Gov. DeWine, has also been suggested to fill the seat.
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Dolan, whose family owns Major League Baseball’s Cleveland Guardians, has served in the Ohio State Senate since 2017 and served in the Ohio House of Representatives for five years before that.
Jane Timken, an Ohio attorney who served as chair of the Ohio Republican Party from 2017 to 2021, is another potential Vance replacement.
“Ohio is proving to the nation the strength and caliber of leaders we have,” Ohio attorney and political commentator Mehek Cooke told Fox News Digital.
“Governor DeWine has a historic opportunity to make lasting change by appointing a highly qualified woman who will not only elevate our state but consistently fight for its people—Jane Timken. As Ohio’s first female GOP Chair, she has demonstrated unwavering leadership, resilience, and a commitment to fairness, never compromising her values in the process.”
Other possibilities include Ohio’s Republican Gov. Frank LaRose, who also ran in the primary against Moreno, along with the state’s Republican Attorney General Dave Yost.
“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 Fox News Digital on Wednesday. “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. 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.”
Ohio’s Republican Lt. Gov. Jon Husted is also believed to be in the mix. A source familiar with Ohio politics told Fox News Digital that Husted is the most formidable Republican candidate statewide after delivering on key issues and that he is focused on the governorship but has publicly said he aims to remain in public service as long as he is wanted.
Yost, who WCMH-TV reported would not accept the position, told Fox News Digital in an interview this summer that he believes Husted would be an “excellent choice.”
Two Republicans currently serving in Congress, Rep. Mike Carey and Warren Davidson, are believed to be options as well.
Carey, who has strong relationships with both Trump and DeWine, reached out to DeWine shortly after Vance was selected, a source familiar with the discussion said this summer.
“While Congressman Carey is honored to be mentioned for the role, his focus is first and foremost on serving the people of Ohio’s Fifteenth Congressional District,” Carey Communications Director Theresa Braid told Fox News Digital.
DeWine press secretary Dan Tierney told Fox News Digital that the timing of the governor’s announcement will depend on when Vance officially vacates his Senate seat and that the governor plans to appoint a “workhorse.”
Tierney said DeWine will be looking for someone who is “qualified and ready to earn the trust of Ohio voters for another term.”
Tierney pointed to the fact that DeWine served in the Senate for 12 years himself and would hope the appointee would be ready to do the “hard work” of pushing legislation and “reaching across the aisle.”
Fox News Digital’s Liz Elkind contributed to this report.
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