Here’s who could take Vance’s Senate seat after his vice president call
By
Ross O'Keefe
July 16, 2024 9:41 am
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Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) got former President Donald Trump’s vice presidential nod on Monday night, beating out contenders such as Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Gov. Doug Burgum (R-ND).
With the appointment, Vance will have to vacate his Senate seat if the Trump-Vance ticket is elected in November, and Gov. Mike DeWine (R-OH) would then have to appoint someone to take his place.
Unsurprisingly, there’s been a flood of interest for the opening, with choices ranging from political outsiders to state establishment picks. Here are a few of them.
Vivek Ramaswamy
The former presidential candidate appears to be a favorite for the Senate spot in Ohio despite his limited political experience and relatively newfound fame. But in both those ways, Ramaswamy is similar to Vance, who had a rapid rise to becoming one of Ohio’s senators in 2023.
There’s also the fact that Vance and Ramaswamy are friends — one of the Ohio senator’s children is named Vivek and his wife is of South Asian ethnic origin as well. They also went to law school together at Yale University. Both are strong Trump supporters and come from entrepreneurial backgrounds.
Ultimately, though, it is DeWine’s decision, not Vance’s, even though the Ohio senator could have some sway in that decision. Ramaswamy told Politico that he “would strongly consider” the open Senate seat, signaling his interest in it.
State Sen. Matt Dolan
Dolan, the likely Republican establishment favorite for the Senate seat, is the heir to Lawrence Dolan of MLB’s Cleveland Guardians and was endorsed in his unsuccessful race for Senate this year by DeWine and former longtime Ohio Sen. Rob Portman.
However, Dolan has lost the last two Republican primaries for Senate, to Vance in 2022 and to Bernie Moreno in 2024, and is certainly a less ardent supporter of Trump than either Vance or Ramaswamy, saying he wants to “move on” from Trump. In that way, he’s more like DeWine, a governor who has refused to endorse Trump in this election.
“Congratulations to Senator Vance on his selection by President Trump to serve as our party’s nominee for Vice President,” he posted on X on Monday. “This is great news for Ohio and America. We are in need of new, results-driven leadership in Washington, DC.”
Rep. Jim Jordan
Jordan is a household name among Ohio Republicans and holds considerable sway among House Republicans. He’s a prominent Trump ally and may be an unlikely choice by DeWine, a more centrist governor, given Jordan’s status as a former chairman of the hard-line House Freedom Caucus.
It’s also possible Jordan wouldn’t be interested. He declined to run for Senate in 2024 and for governor in 2022 despite having his name floated both times. Jordan endorsed Vance as Trump’s vice presidential choice, posting on X that he’s “a great American.”
When his office was asked for comment by NOTUS if Jordan would be interested in the seat, it did not deny it.
“Mr. Jordan is focused on his work at the Judiciary Committee and getting President Trump and Vice President Vance elected,” a Jordan spokesperson said.
Senate candidate Bernie Moreno
If Moreno loses to incumbent Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), he becomes an easy choice for DeWine to appoint to an open Senate seat.
A Moreno loss looks like a real possibility in red Ohio, too, with Brown leading by 5 points and 6 points in the last two Ohio Senate polls.
Moreno was endorsed by Trump, though not initially by DeWine, who endorsed Dolan before turning to Moreno after his primary win. The Senate candidate strongly endorsed Trump’s choice of Vance as his running mate.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/campaigns/congressional/3084442/jd-vance-senate-seat-replacement-vp-call/
