Who will replace JD Vance in the Senate? These are the leading candidates

JD Vance became vice president-elect last November 5, when the Trump-Vance ticket won the presidential election over the Harris-Walz ticket. The still-Senator from Ohio will have to resign from his current position before taking office. For example, in 2020, Kamala Harris did so two days before being sworn in. Under state law, the governor of the Buckeye State, Mike DeWine, will temporarily choose his successor in the Senate.

Vance came to the Senate after defeating Democrat Pat Ryan in 2022, so he still has four years left in his term. In this case, Governor DeWine's selection will serve until 2026, when a special election will be held to settle who will serve the last two years as Ohio's senator.

At this point, the governor has yet to give many clues, only clarifying that he will be looking for someone capable of winning both a primary and a general election.

"It takes someone who really will focus on the state of Ohio, will focus on national issues, someone who will really work hard, someone who wants to get things done," DeWine told reporters Thursday. "These are qualifications, I think, that are very important. It also has to be someone who could win a primary. It has to be someone who could win a general election, and then two years later, do all that again. So, this is not for the faint-hearted," DeWine, who also served as a senator from 1995 to 2007, said recently.

For the moment, the only clear thing is that Vance's successor will take over as soon as he resigns to become vice president of the United States.

Vivek Ramaswamy

Vivek Ramaswamy is perhaps the name with the most national recognition on the list. The 39-year-old businessman rose to fame in 2021 for his book "Woke, Inc" and subsequently for his 2024 presidential bid.

Although ideologically more alienated from Trump, Ramaswamy also has some more libertarian tendencies. During his presidential campaign, he promised to abolish at least five government departments, fire tens of thousands of employees, and pardon Julian Assange, Ross Ulbricht and Edward Snowden.

"Not everybody has the same skills. I'm an executive by background. That's served me well as an entrepreneur, and those are skills that I'd like to put to use, and I want to reflect on the biggest and best possible way that we can use that skillset as an outsider to hopefully transform this country," he recently told a group of journalists, also adding that he intends to have "the biggest impact possible." He also did not rule out taking a position in the second Trump administration.

Matt Dolan

Matt Dolan is one of the most circulated names to succeed Vance in the Senate. His last name is quite powerful in Ohio since his family owns the Cleveland Guardians, and he has served as a state senator for seven years.

Dolan ran for Senate in 2022 and 2024 as a traditional Republican, one of the few who did not embrace the MAGA agenda.

In 2022, he came in third behind Vance and Josh Mandel, while in 2024, he came second to Bernie Moreno.

Coincidentally, in this last election, he received the official endorsement of Governor DeWine, who defined him as a "proven conservative" capable of winning a general election, one of the most important requirements for the current decision.

"Matt’s service, experience, and integrity will make him the most effective voice for Ohio’s interests on the national stage. He cares deeply about the future of our state and nation. He is determined to protect America here at home and abroad, and he knows that nothing is more important to our security than a strong national defense," the governor said in March 2024.

Jane Timken

Jane Timken is a Harvard-passed lawyer recognized among Ohio Republicans. She was the party's chairwoman from 2017 to 2021, precisely during the years the state was entrenched as Republican.

Although she came in fifth place in the 2022 Senate election, she won some heavyweight endorsements, such as those from Kellyanne Conway, Kristi Noem, Elise Stefanik and former senator Rob Portman.

In the aforementioned election, she ran on a platform very close to Trump, although she was unable to win his official endorsement, which ultimately went to Vance.

Frank LaRose

The local secretary of state also recently lost Ohio's Republican Senate primary. In March 2024, he came in a distant third place behind Moreno and Dolan. With a military background, he won re-election in 2022 with record votes for secretary of state in Ohio.

LaRose is one of the few who has already flirted publicly with being Vance's replacement, stating recently that he is "always ready to answer the call of duty."

During the campaign, he stuck out as the "only sitting Secretary of State endorsed by President Trump."

Some more unlikely choices

Mike DeWine will not be able to run for a third term in 2026, so there are two potential candidates to fill JD Vance's seat. 

One of them is Attorney General Dave Yost, who has the governorship between his eyebrows. "Look, I'm an executive. 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 would not accept that," he told reporters recently.

Another is Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted, who has already received a strong nod from the governor in the race to succeed him. However, DeWine appeared not to rule him out entirely because he is confident of his electoral ability.

Representatives Mike Carey and Warren Davidson also have a chance of being elected to Congress. Carey has a good relationship with both Trump and DeWine, so he would be an interesting name for both traditional Republicans and MAGAs.