Vance’s Senate succession pits MAGA against the old Republican Party
By
Jeremiah Poff
December 10, 2024 2:00 pm
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The Republican Party is singing a victorious and united tune. President-elect Donald Trump will return to the White House next month, as will Republican majorities in both chambers of Congress.
But Trump’s victory on Nov. 6 was as much a triumph over the GOP establishment as it was the Democratic Party and Vice President Kamala Harris. He has now remade the party in his image and put his Republican opponents on their heels.
But even as the old guard grapples with how to engage with a second Trump presidency, a new intraparty battle is emerging in Ohio, a state once known for its swingy politics but which has become reliably Republican since Trump emerged as the GOP’s leader.
On Jan. 20, barely two years after he took office, Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) will resign his position as a senator and take the oath of office to be vice president of the United States.
This has started a storm of speculation about who could replace him as senator. The chatter began as soon as Trump first announced that Vance would join him on the Republican presidential ticket.
When Vance vacates his Senate seat, the decision about refilling it will fall to Gov. Mike DeWine (R-OH), who will appoint a seat-warmer replacement until a special election is held in November 2026 to fill the remaining two years of the term. The seat will again be up for reelection in 2028 for a full six-year term.
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https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/senate/3255363/jd-vance-senate-succession-maga-against-old-republican-party/
