A scramble has begun for J.D. Vance’s Senate seat as the vice-president elect prepares to join the second Trump administration.
Whoever Republican governor Mike DeWine appoints will serve until a special election in 2026, which will decide who serves the remainder of Vance’s term. Another election will then follow in 2028 for a new six-year term.
The list of candidates includes Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, former Ohio Republican chair Jane Timken, and state senator Matt Dolan, who all ran unsuccessfully for Senate seats in either 2022 or 2024.
Some new possible contenders include Ohio Attorney General David Yost, Congressman Mike Carey and attorney Mehek Cooke, who was a Trump 2024 surrogate.
Although floated for the Senate role, Vivek Ramaswamy confirmed he isn't seeking the job after being tapped to co-lead "DOGE" with Elon Musk.
Trump has turned Ohio, a former swing state, solidly red over the last few election cycles since his first presidential run. This year, he won the state by double digits and helped Republican Bernie Moreno defeat incumbent senator Sherrod Brown (D).
Despite Ohio’s shift to the right, special elections can sometimes be unpredictable. Whoever DeWine picks will have to ensure Democrats do not claw back power in a state where they have recently been shut out.
“It has to be someone who could win a primary. It has to be somebody who could win a general election, and then two years later, do it all again,” DeWine said. “So this is not for the fainthearted. This is not for someone who just wants a seat.”
Vance was elected to the Senate just two years ago after winning a contentious and crowded primary with help from Trump, who gave Vance a crucial endorsement. The field of candidates that year included Matt Dolan and Jane Timken.
Trump has previously endorsed several of the candidates currently vying to replace Vance, with the notable exception of Dolan, who ran as a moderate and anti-Trump Republican in 2022 and 2024.
DeWine, an establishment Republican, endorsed Dolan this year against Bernie Moreno. DeWine also did not endorse Trump in 2024.
With DeWine playing gatekeeper, it's not guaranteed that his choice for Vance's seat will have the same MAGA pedigree. Trump will want not just any Republican, but someone who is loyal to him and his agenda.
“We’re not expecting someone to be appointed who is as ideologically connected to President Trump’s agenda as JD was, but there is an expectation that whoever gets it is broadly supportive of his policies, and publicly supporting his Cabinet nominees should be a given for anyone who wants the job,” a Trump operative told NBC.
While DeWine will get first dibs, there's still a primary coming up in 2026 for the seat. Trump was the kingmaker for the last two Senate races in the state, and it's a role he could play again.
