COLUMBUS, Ohio — JD Vance was announced as the vice presidential candidate Monday, but the race is already on to replace his U.S. Senate seat if he and former President Donald Trump win the election.
The most popularly floated names around Capital Square in Columbus, according to numerous strategists and politicos, are state Sen. Matt Dolan, RNC Committeewoman for Ohio Jane Timken and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy — but Gov. Mike DeWine would get the final say.
The 39-year-old author and Trump loyalist was elected to Congress in 2022.
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"Sometimes things go pretty straightforwardly, but sometimes you see a bunch of political gamesmanship," Case Western Reserve University constitutional law professor Jonathan Entin said.
While Vance is running, he doesn’t need to step down from his seat, Entin explained, but if he wins, the governor will need to appoint a replacement.
"You often get a lot of political maneuvering anyway, especially if you have multiple people who are interested in the position," the professor added.
The appointees typically fall into three categories, he said: a prior candidate, a sitting member of Congress or a statewide elected official.
Republican Strategist Bob Clegg said the governor has a lot of options in front of him.
"The governor is gonna pick somebody that will do a good job, will have good conservative beliefs, will be able to represent the majority of Ohioans," Clegg said.
Even if DeWine has a preference, the strategist says the most important thing the governor will need to consider is re-election viability.
"Somebody who can win and hold that seat both in a primary and a general election," he said.
The appointee would need to run in a special election in 2026 to keep the seat, but Entin offered that DeWine could appoint a placeholder instead.
"Sometimes the governor will decide, 'Let's just go with somebody who isn't controversial, who doesn't have long-term political ambitions so that we can just get through this time period," Entin said.
DeWine is trying to focus on the upcoming election, but he has "started thinking about it," he told our team at the RNC.
"But we really need to focus on getting Bernie Moreno elected, three members of the Ohio Supreme Court, there's a lot of congressional races, a lot of things going on," DeWine said. "We're going to kind of set that aside until after November."
Some people have already started throwing their hats in the ring, but DeWine is deflecting.
"I've heard a lot of names mentioned and we got a lot of good people who could serve in the United States Senate," he said. "I don't have a short list because I don't even have a long list yet — so we'll work on that in time."
DeWine would be open to hearing thoughts from Trump, noting that he had a "good working relationship" when he was president, just like he has a good one with President Joe Biden.
"It's important for the governor of Ohio to have a relationship with the president of the United States that just is beneficial to Ohio," he said.
DeWine has broken with Trump on plenty of policy decisions and has a near-opposite personality. However, he is supportive of the presidential nominee in his race to regain the White House.
At the end of 2023, I did a one-on-one with DeWine where I asked him if Trump becoming president again would be a threat to democracy. He would not answer.
Onto the names
This list is not exhaustive and only reflects the views of two dozen Ohio political insiders in different offices and professions. Individuals will likely come out of the woodwork to express interest to the governor.
Prior candidates
Matt Dolan
State Sen. Matt Dolan would be the most obvious pick, according to Clegg and about a dozen other politicos I spoke 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.
Jane Timken
Jane Timken is another popular name. She is a Trump ally who ran in 2022 and is currently the RNC Committeewoman for Ohio.
She did not respond to comment.
Vivek Ramaswamy
Vivek Ramaswamy, despite not having run for U.S. Senate before, was also proposed by a dozen insiders.
Ramaswamy's team told us that he wasn't able to do an interview. But he told Politico that he was interested.
"If I were asked to serve, I would strongly consider it," he said.
Frank LaRose
Sec. of State Frank LaRose was mentioned as a possibility. He ran and came in third for the 2024 Republican U.S. Senate nomination. However, Vance and Donald Trump Jr. have routinely criticized and insulted LaRose on social media. It is unclear if that could play into DeWine's decision.
His team did not respond to comment.
Bernie Moreno if he loses in 2024
Bernie Moreno is the Republican candidate facing off against U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown to flip his seat. If Moreno ends up losing, politicos predict he could be appointed.
"This is nonsense contrived by Sherrod Brown’s enablers who know he’s on the path to defeat. The only person who will be looking for a job in November is Sherrod Brown,” Moreno's spokesperson Reagan McCarthy said.
Sitting members of Congress
Jim Jordan
Congressman Jim Jordan has been a member of Congress since 2007, representing areas around Lima and Mansfield. He is a Trump ally and chairs the Judiciary Committee.
"Mr. Jordan is focused on his work at the Judiciary Committee and getting President Trump and Vice President Vance elected," a spokesperson said.
Dave Joyce
Congressman Dave Joyce has been a member of Congress since 2013, representing Northeast Ohio. He is a moderate with views closely aligned with DeWine's. He chairs the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government.
A source familiar told me that Joyce’s name has come up, but he is reserving conversations until after the RNC out of respect for Trump and Vance.
Others
Other politicians mentioned were Congressmen Mike Carey and Warren Davidson.
Statewide electeds
Dave Yost
Attorney General Dave Yost has been floated the most of the statewide officials. However, the AG seems more interested in continuing his run for governor.
"We’re blessed to have a number of candidates who would make a great U.S. senator. Dave has always felt called to an executive office, and is actively raising money for a 2026 run for governor. But right now his focus is on flipping the Senate by electing Bernie Moreno, and sending Donald Trump and JD Vance to the White House," Yost's campaign spokesperson Amy Natoce said.
Jon Husted
Although not as frequently brought up as Yost was, Lieutenant Gov. Jon Husted is being floated. Husted is expected to run against Yost for governor.
"The Lt. Governor’s focus is on getting President Trump, JD Vance and Bernie Moreno elected in November. Any speculation around JD Vance’s Senate seat is a distraction and only stands to benefit Joe Biden and Sherrod Brown," Husted's spokesperson Hayley Carducci said.
Intraparty battle
Entin believes there may be some bargaining here if the governor wants to help out his LG. To be clear, DeWine has not endorsed anyone for governor yet.
"If he thinks that Yost would be interested in the senate seat, he might be inclined to go in that direction to try to clear out at least one other candidate from the gubernatorial field," Entin said.
It would not surprise him if the governor was trying to figure out how to minimize the prospect of a bitter intraparty battle, he said.
That being said, appointing Husted could give the LG more name recognition for his gubernatorial run in 2026.
State lawmakers?
Some other high-ranking state lawmakers are interested in the seat, but appointments like that don't typically happen, according to Clegg. Name recognition is important, and most state lawmakers don't have that.
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