The appointment of JD Vance as donald trumpTrump’s running mate raised immediate questions Monday about the future of his Ohio Senate seat if they win in November.
The former president chose Vance after weeks of speculation about who would join the ticket as he seeks to return to the White House in November. The “Hillbilly Elegy” author was first elected to the US Senate in 2022, with no prior political experience, and would be one of the youngest vice presidents in history if he were elected.
More: Ohio Senator JD Vance is Donald Trump’s pick for vice president
If Vance goes to the White House in January, Republican Gov. Mike DeWine will nominate someone to replace him until a special election is held in November 2026. The winner will serve the rest of Vance’s first term, which ends in 2028.
DeWine said he has thought about the nomination but has not indicated who he is considering for the position. As a former U.S. senator himself, the governor is expected to think carefully — and strategically — about who he wants to represent Ohio in the upper house of Congress.
“You want someone who can win,” DeWine said Monday as Republican delegates prepared to nominate Vance. “You want someone who is a good U.S. senator. Those are the basic criteria.”
Who could replace JD Vance in the Senate?
Potential names to replace Vance began circulating even before he secured the vice presidential nomination.
DeWine has a delicate balance to maintain when considering who to nominate and position for a 2028 election. Vance and Trump will likely have an interest in who holds the seat, especially if either party has a slim majority in the Senate. But observers say electability is also important, especially since 2026 could be a difficult election year for Republicans if they control the White House.
Trump and DeWine are also not particularly close, meaning the governor may not prioritize his interests over Ohio’s.
“Ohio is Republican-leaning, but it’s not Alabama,” said Justin Buchler, a political scientist at Case Western Reserve University. “That means that nominating someone who is far right and not well known, not well qualified, would lead to a potential loss if Democrats were to face a relatively strong opponent in a good year.”
A candidate appeared almost immediately after Monday’s announcement: businessman and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. The Columbus-area resident and Cincinnati native is an avid Trump supporter — despite challenging him during the primaries — and some see him as a logical appointment who would advance the administration’s agenda.
Ramaswamy said he would “strongly consider” the job if asked.
“I would like to have a conversation with President Trump about how I can maximize my impact on this country and ensure that his second term is as successful as possible,” he said.
The field of possibilities beyond Ramaswamy is vast. Among them could be Secretary of State Frank LaRose or state Sen. Matt Dolan, R-Chagrin Falls, who lost this year Senate primaries to Republican businessman Bernie Moreno. Dolan’s prospects are less certain: He was DeWine’s pick for the March primaries, but Trump has repeatedly criticized him in the past.
A spokesperson for LaRose did not respond to a request for comment. Dolan adviser Chris Maloney said the state senator and DeWine “wisely stated that Ohio’s focus must remain on a strong Republican victory in November.”
DeWine could also try to narrow the field of candidates running to replace him as governor in 2026 or make history by nominating Ohio’s first female U.S. senator.
“(DeWine) has fond memories of his tenure in the Senate,” said Republican strategist Mark Weaver. “This is a more important appointment for him than a seat on the Ohio Supreme Court. A different part of Mike DeWine’s brain will be involved in this than normal appointments because he cares about the Senate.”
Haley BeMiller is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations in Ohio.
This article originally appeared in The Columbus Dispatch: What J.D. Vance’s Vice Presidential Nomination Could Mean for His Ohio Senate Seat
