Ohio Senator J.D. Vance has been chosen as former President Donald Trump’s vice presidential nominee. Now a large group of Republicans wants to replace him in the Senate.
The perfect candidate would have to strike a delicate balance that wins favor with both Ohio’s even-keeled Governor Mike DeWine and Donald Trump’s MAGA base.
Once Trump announced on Truth Social that he had chosen Vance, dozens of ambitious Ohio politicians began privately expressing their interest in the seat.
Some sources believe DeWine will approach Matt Dolan, but he has already run unsuccessfully twice for a seat in the Ohio Senate.
DeWine has endorsed Dolan’s 2024 primary, even though the senator doesn’t fully support former President Trump. That could also pose a problem.
Some sources believe DeWine will approach Matt Dolan, but he has already run unsuccessfully twice for the Ohio Senate seat.
Former President Donald J Trump makes an early appearance at the Fiserv Forum alongside Vice Chairman-designate JD Vance on the first night of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
“If DeWine could pick Dolan, he would, I think he knows he can’t do that. And Dolan knows that too,” said a source involved in Ohio politics.
Other members of Congress — Reps. Warren Davidson, Mike Carey and Dave Joyce — could also be candidates — and have expressed interest in the seat. Rep. Jim Jordan, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, has not ruled out the possibility.
In conversations with a half-dozen sources familiar with Ohio politics, no one appeared to agree on which direction the governor would lean.
Another name making the rounds is Vivek Ramaswamy, the Ohio entrepreneur who shook up the presidential debates during his own presidential campaign. But insiders say he doesn’t appear to be trying to curry favor with DeWine.
“He’s looking for the wrong crowd,” said a source close to Ohio’s political scene, who said Ramaswamy is more focused on galvanizing a national MAGA base than on Ohio’s governor.
“Who else wants JD Vance’s Senate seat to be filled by (Ramaswamy)?” wrote Senator Mike Lee, Republican of Utah, on X.
“Sounds great,” Elon Msuk replied.
Ramaswamy told reporters at the Republican Party convention in Milwaukee that he was open to the role.
“I would keep an eye on Jane Timken,” said another source with knowledge of Ohio politics. “There’s a balance between MAGA and the traditional Republican Party.
Timken served as chair of the Ohio Republican Party from 2017 to 2021. Although she lost the 2022 Senate primary to Vance, she has tried to portray herself as a loyal Trump supporter.
Another name floating around is Vivek Ramaswamy, the Ohio entrepreneur who shook up the presidential debates during his own presidential campaign. But insiders say he doesn’t appear to be trying to curry DeWine’s favor.
Frank Larose is the former Ohio Secretary of State who lost this year’s Senate primary to Bernie Moreno
“I wouldn’t write off (Frank) LaRose, but he wouldn’t make it in the primaries if it came to that. The conventional wisdom is Dolan, but he would have the same problem and the Trump team would veto that.”
Larose is the former Ohio secretary of state who lost a Senate primary to Bernie Moreno this year. Although Larose tried to burnish his MAGA credentials during the race, he couldn’t shake his pragmatic, centrist reputation.
Another source named Timken and Larose as “dark horse” candidates.
And another said Attorney General Dave Yost could be a “dark horse” to “swing the 2026 gubernatorial election for (Lt. Gov. Jon) Husted.”
Yost was involved in Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election results and played a key role in defending Ohio’s abortion law, which banned abortion after six weeks of pregnancy.
Vance, author of Hillbilly Elegy and a first-term senator, won 53-47 in 2022 over Democratic candidate Tim Ryan.