Who will replace J.D. Vance in the Senate? Mike Devine will decide

Gov. Mike DeWine’s phone is ringing off the hook with calls about a future project in Ohio. vacant seat in the US Senatebut he won’t reveal who’s in line for the job.

Sen. J.D. Vance became vice president on Tuesday, just two years after he was first elected to the Senate. State law requires DeWine to appoint someone to serve alongside Sen.-elect Bernie Moreno through 2026. Voters will then choose someone to serve the remaining two years of Vance’s term.

Moreno won Longtime Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown’s move Tuesday means Ohio will soon be represented by two brand new senators.

“It takes someone who’s really going to focus on Ohio, to really focus on national issues, someone who’s going to really work hard, someone who wants to get things done,” DeWine told reporters Thursday. “I think these are very important qualities. It also has to be someone who can win the primary. It has to be someone who can win a general election and then, two years later, do it all again. So, this is not for the faint of heart.”

DeWine’s appointee will assume the role when Vance steps down. A spokesman for Vance did not respond to questions about his terms, but the new senators will be sworn in in early January.

Who could replace J.D. Vance in the Senate?

DeWine is expected to nominate a fellow Republican, but he declined to say who he has spoken with or who he is considering. Among the names floating around are former Ohio Republican Party Chairwoman Jane Timken, Secretary of State Frank LaRose and state Sen. Matt Dolan, R-Chagrin Falls.

Speaking to reporters Thursday, Moreno said he wants to see someone who supports the GOP agenda and understands what it means to campaign across the state.

“That’s the difference between inherited wealth and wealth that you had to create on your own,” Moreno said. “And I’m not a fan of inherited wealth. They are usually lazy. I want to see a person who had to work for this.”

Dolan and LaRose lost to Moreno in the March Republican Senate primary. An adviser to Dolan did not respond to a request for comment. In a statement, LaRose said he is “always ready to answer the call of duty” but is currently focused on certifying the results of Tuesday’s election.

One person appears to have ruled out a Senate nomination: Attorney General Dave Yost, who is running for governor against Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted.

“Look, I’m a leader,” Yost told reporters earlier this week. “I’ve never been a legislator and I’m not ready to end my public service, but I can’t imagine going to Washington, D.C., and I wouldn’t go along with it.”

Devine said he would be open to someone who, like Moreno, has no previous experience in the position. One such person is Vivek Ramaswamy, a Columbus-area entrepreneur and Cincinnati native who ran unsuccessfully for the GOP presidential nomination earlier this year.

Ramaswamy is also rumored to be a potential gubernatorial candidate or appointee to President-elect Donald Trump’s cabinet. The asset management firm founded by Ramaswamy moving from Columbus to Dallas, but said he is no longer affiliated with the company and plans to remain in Ohio.

“Not everyone has the same skills,” Ramaswamy told reporters on Thursday. “I am a leader by training. That has served me well as an entrepreneur and those are the skills that I would like to use and I want to think about how we can better and more effectively use that skill set as an underdog who will hopefully change this country.”

State House Bureau reporters Jesse Balmert and Erin Glynn contributed.