8 Possible Replacements Who Could Be Appointed by Ohio’s Governor to Replace J.D. Vance’s Senate Seat

Ohio Senator. by J.D. Vance His new position as vice president-elect leaves a Senate seat open in the Buckeye State, where the state’s Republican governor will select his replacement from a growing list of possible choices.

State law requires Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine to select a Republican to take Vance’s spot in the Senate until a special election is held in November 2026 to determine who will serve the remainder of Vance’s term, which ends in 2028, serving time. will then have to run again in 2028 to start a new six-year term.

“If Donald Trump is elected, we will start our process of looking at people and talking to people,” DeWine said last week. “Some people have already contacted me. I have already spoken to a number of people at their request.”

DeWine, widely considered part of the Republican Party’s establishment wing, is likely to come under pressure from Trump loyalists to nominate a candidate consistent 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 the world of newly elected President Donald Trump includes former presidential candidate and Ohio native Vivek Ramaswamy, who rather floated interest in the position.

“Donald Trump has built 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 influence change will not be sorted out in the press.”

State Senator Matt Dolan, who ran against Bernie Moreno in the primaries and is an ally of Governor DeWine, has also been proposed to fill the seat.

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Dolan, whose family owns Major League Baseball’s Cleveland Guardians, has served in the Ohio Senate since 2017 and before that in the Ohio House of Representatives for five years.

Jane Timken, an Ohio attorney who served as chair of the Ohio Republican Party from 2017 to 2021, is another potential replacement for Vance.

“Ohio is proving to the nation the strength and caliber of the 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 his people – Jane Timken. As Ohio’s first female GOP chair, she has demonstrated unwavering leadership, resilience and a commitment to fairness while never compromising her values.”

Other possibilities include Republican Ohio Governor Frank LaRose, who also ran against Moreno in the primary, along with the state’s Republican Attorney General Dave Yost.

“I am always ready to rise to the call of duty, but I am now also focused on the job Ohioans hired me to do,” LaRose told Fox News Digital on Wednesday. “Once again, we provided a safe, accurate, and accessible election for Ohio voters, and that work continues. We must certify the results on an accelerated timeline to allow for the Electoral College meeting next month.”

“We are still working with our election boards to process absentee ballots and help voters recover provisional ballots. We have a possible recount in one district race in Congress. We are also not letting up on the pressure on the Biden administration to give us the federal citizenship data we need to ensure the accuracy of Ohio’s voter rolls. Much remains to be done. .”

Ohio’s Republican lieutenant governor, Jon Husted, is also said 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 discussing key issues and that he is focused on the governorship but has publicly said he plans to remain in public service as long as he is wanted.

Yost, who WCMH-TV reports this would not accept the position, telling Fox News Digital in an interview this summer that he believes Husted would be an “excellent choice.”

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Two Republicans currently serving in Congress, Mike Carey and Warren Davidson, would also be options.

Carey, who has strong relationships with both Trump and DeWine, contacted DeWine shortly after Vance was selected, a source familiar with the discussion said this summer.

“While Congressman Carey is honored to be named for the role, his primary focus is on serving the people of Ohio’s Fifteenth Congressional District,” Theresa Braid, Carey’s communications director, 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 leaves his Senate seat and that the governor plans to appoint a “workhorse.”

Tierney said DeWine will look for someone “qualified and ready to earn the trust of Ohio voters for another term.”

Tierney pointed to the fact that DeWine himself spent 12 years in the Senate and would hope the appointee would be willing to do the “hard work” of pushing through legislation and “reaching across the aisle.”

Liz Elkind of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.