5 Candidates to Replace J.D. Vance in the Senate

Being elected vice president, JD Vance will have to give up my Ohio Senate place, and there are already several contenders to replace him.

Vance and the President-Elect Donald Trump won a decisive victory in the 2024 elections, Vice President Kamala Harris concedes victory in race on Wednesday. Vance, Harris’ successor, is expected to retire from the Senate, where he has represented Ohio since January 2023.

Under Ohio law, in this situation, the state’s governor has the authority to appoint a replacement to serve in the post until a special election in 2026 that will decide who will fill out the remainder of Vance’s term.

This means that the current Governor of Ohio, republican Mike Devinewill soon be faced with a difficult decision: who will he choose to replace Vance in the Senate?

Vivek Ramaswamy

Ramaswamy, 39, a close college friend of Vance’s and a leading Trump supporter, was born and raised in Ohio. He rose to prominence during the 2024 Republican primaries, but withdrew and endorsed Trump.

Ramaswamy briefly ran to join Trump on the ticket before Vance was selected as his running mate. He will be a reliable supporter of Trump in the Senate and will bring national recognition to future elections for this seat.

Matt Dolan

Ohio State Senator Matt Dolan has extensive public service experience in the Buckeye State, having served in the state House of Representatives since 2005 before becoming a state senator in 2017.

Dolan, 59, was defeated by Vance in the 2022 Republican Senate primary and again in 2024 for another state Senate seat, but he remains one of the state’s most experienced lawmakers.

Frank LaRose

Like Dolan, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, 45, also tried to run for Senate in the 2024 primary for a chance to retake the seat from a Democrat. Sherrod Brown.

As Secretary of State, LaRose works closely with Governor DeWine, which could be key to the governor’s final decision. LaRose was endorsed by Donald Trump during his re-election as Secretary of State in 2022.

Jane Timken

Another big name in the Ohio Republican Party, Jane Timken, 58, served as state party chair from 2017 to 2021.

Timken resigned from her position to run for the U.S. Senate in 2022, losing a primary won by J.D. Vance. She ran on a decidedly pro-Trump platform, to the point where she criticized the former governor. John Kasichshe previously supported.

Jon Husted

Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted is DeWine’s second-in-command and has worked closely with him since 2018. He even bowed out of the 2018 gubernatorial race to join DeWine’s ticket as his running mate.

Husted, 57, also served in the Ohio House and Senate before his election as lieutenant governor, meaning he has legislative experience that would be a good fit in the Senate.

How will J.D. Vance’s replacement be chosen?

J.D. Vance is expected to retire before taking office as vice president in January 2025.

That would start an appointment process in which Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine would choose someone, likely a Republican, to fill the position before a special election. In this case, the special election would take place on November 3, 2026, during the midterm elections for the new Trump administration.

The special election will decide who will serve the remainder of J.D. Vance’s original six-year term. Since Vance was elected to the Senate in the 2022 midterm elections, this means the next regular election will be in 2028, coinciding with the next presidential election.

Newsweek has contacted Mark DeWine’s office for comment on the replacement process.

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