COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine chuckled as he denied interest in appointing himself to the open Senate seat if former President Donald Trump and running mate U.S. Senator JD Vance are elected. He did, however, give a list of qualities he would want in an appointee.
Ohio’s Democratic delegates have voted to support Kamala Harris as their presidential candidate. This comes ahead of the National Convention set to take place in August. Now, with Harris as the presumptive Democratic candidate for President, Republicans need to change their playbook to compete against her.
RELATED: Ohio Democrats fall in line behind Kamala Harris
"We've never had a presidential campaign in the history of this country like this," DeWine said. "It's gonna continue to evolve."
The governor said he isn’t worried, though. Trump won Ohio in both 2016 and 2020 by eight points.
"There's no indication that he is not going to carry Ohio at least by that again," DeWine added. "I don't look at Ohio as a battleground for the presidency."
While the Democrats are dealing with changes, the governor will have a big decision to make if the Republican ticket wins.
While Vance is running, he doesn’t need to step down from his seat. If he wins, DeWine will need to appoint a replacement.
When Vance was first chosen, we did a longer piece just about possible appointments.
RELATED: Here is who could replace JD Vance in U.S. Senate
Hopefuls are already throwing their hats into the ring, DeWine said.
"I don't have a short list and I don't have a long list even yet," he said with a smile. "There are some people who've expressed an interest in and there are other people who've expressed an interest in who I do appoint."
At an unrelated press conference, the governor was joined by House Speaker Jason Stephens (R-Kitts Hill) and Senate President Matt Huffman (R-Lima). I asked each of them what qualities they would want to see in an appointment.
DeWine is looking for someone who can win not just the 2026 primary and general special elections but also the 2028 elections, he said.
"I'll look for someone who wants to get things done every day and will stay focused on it — It's a tough job, it's not an easy job," he added. "We also have to have someone who will be able to stay there a while."
Building up seniority is important, and a lawmaker can become more effective the longer they stay there, he said.
Huffman and Stephens, both not thrilled to be called up to speak, danced around my question.
"If the governor asked my opinion, I'll give it to him — that will be confidential," Huffman responded. "That's why people ask questions in confidence, so they don't go out and blab all over to everybody. No offense intended, of course."
Stephens took a softer approach.
"Anytime there is a political potential vacancy, there's always a lot of speculation," Stephens said. "I don't think it helps to get the cart before the horse, if you will."
The speaker went on to say that things change quickly in politics.
"I think we are focused on the presidential election," he added. "And House and Senate elections here in the next few months."
Stephens, in this remark, intentionally or unintentionally, pointed out the contentious battle he is having with the man standing beside him.
Update on infighting
Huffman announced a long-expected move in March — his interest in running to unseat Stephens in January 2025. He suggested to me that Stephens is not doing a good enough job and said that Democrats have reached out to him about a possible speaker run.
Click here to learn more about the GOP infighting.
“It would be better if the Senate president would pay attention to running the Senate instead of trying to run the House,” Stephens told me when I asked him about the political rivalry in April.
Huffman had been in campaign talks for months now, gaining support from a significant faction of House representatives and national and statewide groups looking to oust Stephens.
Right now, there is an ongoing lawsuit between ownership of the campaign fund account for the House Republicans. A Columbus judge ruled in favor of lawmakers suing Stephens, but a state appeals court froze the decision for the time being.
That campaign account has been essential in fighting against the attempts to unseat allies of Stephens.
Back to U.S. Senate
We did a much longer piece on popularly floated names around Capital Square in Columbus.
In short, the most likely pick would be state Senator Matt Dolan (R-Chagrin Falls), according to more than a dozen politicos I have spoken to.
The governor endorsed Dolan in the last U.S. Senate Republican primary, but he finished second to Bernie Moreno.
“Senator Dolan and Governor DeWine have wisely stated that our focus must remain on victory in November. They’re exactly right," Dolan's spokesperson Chris Maloney said.
Dolan's name was brought up during the press conference, but DeWine deflected and just made a comment about a lot of people being interested.
Jane Timken is another popular name. She is a Trump ally who ran in 2022 and is currently the RNC Committeewoman for Ohio.
"My focus is on the elections of Donald Trump, JD Vance, and Bernie Moreno and our whole Ohio ticket," Timken told me. "Any discussion of a Senate vacancy is premature."
The governor said he won’t be looking at the possible candidates until after the Nov. election — but he can say one thing for sure.
"So you're not planning on appointing yourself to the Senate?" I asked facetiously since rumors have been flying about DeWine choosing himself and letting Lieutenant Gov. Jon Husted be the incumbent for the 2026 gubernatorial election.
"Well, I thought that would be a good rumor we could start," he said, to laughter. "I was going to have fun with you guys and let you chase that for a few days."
"No no no, I value my 57-year marriage," the governor continued, to more laughter. "I don't think Fran would be too happy about that."
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