Jockeying begins for JD Vance’s Senate seat

Ohio Sen. JD Vance became the vice president-elect just one week ago, and there’s already a spirited campaign to replace him in the Senate.
But the candidates need only convince one person that they’re right for the job: Gov. Mike DeWine.
DeWine will pick someone to serve with Sen.-elect Bernie Moreno for the next two years, and that person must run for office in 2026 if he or she wants to keep the job. The winner of the November 2026 election will fill out the remainder of Vance’s first term, which ends in 2028.
The rumor mill has been lively, to say the least. Potential contenders include former Ohio Republican Party chair Jane Timken, Congressman Mike Carey, Secretary of State Frank LaRose and state Sen. Matt Dolan.
Former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy was floating out there until yesterday, when President-elect Donald Trump tapped him to help lead a new initiative to slash government funding. And he wasn’t the only one eyeing a job in the Trump administration: LaRose, who lost to Moreno in the March Senate primary, is also interested in the top spot at a cybersecurity agency, Politico reported.
I caught up yesterday with Dolan, who told me he’s conveyed his interest to DeWine. Dolan lost two Republican Senate primaries after occupying the non-MAGA lane, but he remains confident that he’s electable. (A quick reminder: DeWine endorsed Dolan over Moreno during this year’s primary.)
“(DeWine) talks about wanting somebody who goes to the Senate with experience, a workhorse, gets things done for Ohio,” Dolan said. “I think I check those boxes. Obviously, whoever gets the appointment needs to be ready to be in a primary, and I’m working on checking that box, so we’ll see.”
After months away from the Ohio Statehouse, the Legislature is back.
Lawmakers will spend the next few weeks wrapping up their two-year legislative session, a period known as lame duck. House Speaker Jason Stephens, R-Kitts Hill, and Senate President Matt Huffman, R-Lima, declined to discuss their priorities with reporters Tuesday, but we have a few ideas about what could be on the agenda.
For starters, the Senate will vote today to ban transgender students from using restrooms that align with their gender identity. Lawmakers also plan to greenlight a ballot issue for public works spending and could take up legislation to crack down on delta-8 THC. Whether they can agree on more complicated bills, such as an effort to overhaul higher education, remains to be seen.
Also on the horizon: A vote to determine whether Stephens or Huffman will be speaker starting in January, which is the culmination of months of infighting among Republicans. Outgoing Rep. Bill Seitz, R-Cincinnati, said that will take place Nov. 20.
Huffman was term-limited from running for Senate again and is moving to the House.
“I’ve been around for 24 years, and there’s been plenty of times when the president of the Senate and the speaker of the House were not exactly best buddies,” Seitz said. “But nonetheless, we’ve always had a robust lame duck period.”
The Ohio Democratic Party had a bad election week.
Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, lost his bid for a fourth term. Issue 1 failed. Republicans swept three Ohio Supreme Court races and now have a 6-1 majority on the court. Come January, Justice Jennifer Brunner will be the only Democrat in statewide office.
Laura Bischoff put together a fascinating article on how we got here and what comes next for Ohio Democrats. Read more here.
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Until next week,
Haley BeMiller, political reporter
Questions or story ideas? Email me at [email protected]. You can find me on X @haleybemiller.
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