Ohio Republicans eye Vance's Senate seat
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Gov. Mike DeWine speaks at a 2022 election night watch party in Columbus. Photo: Andrew Spear/Getty Images
Influential Ohio Republicans and their allies are already jockeying for a shot at J.D. Vance's Senate seat, which would come open should he and former President Trump defeat President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on Nov. 5.
Why it matters: Speculation over who Gov. Mike DeWine might select to fill a vacancy began mounting almost immediately following Trump's announcement Monday that he'd selected Vance as his running mate.
The big picture: Former 2024 Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy's allies are among those preemptively pushing DeWine for the appointment, one source familiar with the matter told Axios.
- Two GOP House members — Dave Joyce and Mike Carey — also have been floated to DeWine as potential appointees, other sources said.
- Joyce is the head of the House's moderate Republican Governance Group, while Carey — as one person noted — is the one person who Trump has endorsed in Ohio "who votes like Rob Portman," the moderate ex-senator.
- Other names an Ohio GOP operative cited to Axios as potential appointees include state Sen. Matt Dolan, Lt. Gov. Jon Husted, Secretary of State Frank LaRose, Attorney General Dave Yost and former state GOP Chair Jane Timken.
The intrigue: DeWine backed Dolan over Trump-endorsed Bernie Moreno in this year's primary to take on incumbent Democrat Sherrod Brown.
- DeWine spokesperson Dan Tierney said in a statement to Axios that he didn't anticipate the governor would comment on a vacancy until there was one, adding that DeWine was focused on helping to elect Republicans in November.
- In the event of a vacancy, DeWine would be tasked with tapping someone to temporarily serve in the seat until a special election in November 2026 for the remaining two years of Vance's term.
- Vance — whose populist leanings contrast with DeWine's more establishment bent — also has not publicly stated who he'd like to see as his potential successor. Vance won his seat in 2022 with 53% of the vote.
The bottom line: Although Election Day is still 3 1/2 months off, Republicans are feeling increasingly bullish about their odds of winning the White House, meaning the back-channeling around a potential Senate vacancy is only likely to intensify.
- Ohio's status as a key presidential and Senate battleground make winning a Senate appointment there an even bigger prize.
Editor's note: This story has been updated with comment from DeWine's office.
