Ohio governor preparing to fill US Senate vacancy left by Vance

Ballots in some districts are still being tallied, but the broad strokes of the 2024 election are clear, and the results mean Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has a big decision to make. J.D. Vance is jumping from U.S. Senator to Vice President-elect leaving a vacancy DeWine needs to fill.

Whoever he chooses will serve for the next two years, with the opportunity to defend the seat in the next federal election in 2026. And since Vance was elected in 2022, his replacement would have to turn around and do it all over again in 2028.

“It’s got to be someone who wants to spend the next four years not just doing the job, but running for office,” DeWine explained at post-election conference hosted by the Ohio Chamber of Commerce.

On the other hand, incumbency means DeWine’s appointee could enter the race with a bit of wind in their sails.

And DeWine has important strategic factors to consider. The Republican party currently controls each state office in Ohio. But in each case — Governor, Lt. Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, Auditor and Treasurer — the politicians occupying those offices are term-limited. That means a broad array of open seats, and several experienced candidates who can make a case reasonable for their nomination to a new post.

That game of musical chairs could easily tip into an intraparty knife fight. DeWine’s pick for the U.S. Senate could help keep it from getting out of hand.

But it’s not clear if that will work. One potential recipient, Attorney General Dave Yost, has already said he’d turn down the nomination. Yost is eyeing a run for governor, as is Lt. Gov. Jon Husted.

With DeWine’s political career likely nearing an end, it’s also one of his last opportunities to put his stamp on Ohio politics. In the most recent U.S. Senate primary, the governor endorsed state Sen. Matt Dolan, R-Chagrin Falls, instead of the eventual victor, U.S. Senator-elect Bernie Moreno.

While DeWine has yet to give any indication as to who he is considering as a replacement to fill Vance’s Senate seat, but there are several potential names that have been circulating among strategists.

How the governor views things

At the Ohio Chamber conference, DeWine refused to discuss names but laid out the considerations that will drive his decision making. He noted with 12 years’ experience in the U.S. Senate himself, he wants to appoint someone “who actually does get things done.”

DeWine also said he’s not interested in a placeholder.

“I want someone who will hold that seat — I hope for a long time,” DeWine said. “I think it’s in the interest of the state for them to do that.”

And in addition to someone willing to mount back-to-back statewide campaigns, he’s concerned with finding someone who’s capable of actually winning those races.

“Someone who can win a primary,” DeWine described, “because they will be faced with a primary in two years. They’re going to be in the primary election in less than that, and also someone who can win the general election.”

After two contentious Republican U.S. Senate primaries it may be difficult to balance all of those priorities. But even if the final decision is challenging, DeWine said he won’t suffer from a lack of viable choices.

“Well, yesterday I got a lot of calls,” DeWine said with smile. “Look, we have great people in the state of Ohio who could serve very well in the United States Senate. So, we’re just going through the process of starting to think about this and see who would be the best person.”

As far as who he’s sounding out for opinions, DeWine said “certainly” Vance’s opinion about who should replace him matters.

“Frankly I’m reaching out to a lot of people, I’m not going to talk about names, again,” DeWine said, “But I’m consulting a lot of people who I know are not interested, but who might have ideas about who should be.”

Although Yost has publicly said he’s not interested, that news may not have reached the governor. Asked whether anyone has taken their name out of the running he said, “well, I don’t know about that.”

“But I wouldn’t tell you anyway,” he quipped.

What Moreno wants in a colleague

A few hours after DeWine spoke, Senator-elect Bernie Moreno took the stage, and described how he wants to promote Ohio businesses in the Senate and earn the trust of voters who didn’t support him. He’s hoping whoever DeWine selects will be a partner in that effort.

Like DeWine, Moreno said he has thoughts on who’d be a good pick but declined to go into specifics. He also stressed that the decision is ultimately the governor’s to make and that he and DeWine are “100% on the same page” about the kind of person who should get the nod.

After what he described as “a grueling two years,” Moreno said finding an effective campaigner is very important.

“It’s got to be somebody who has a proven record of actually doing the work,” he said. “Because if you are too lazy to campaign, you’re probably going to be too lazy to be an effective senator.”

He added it’s important that the appointee really believes in Trump’s agenda rather than someone who would say you agree with it “and then stab us in the back in Washington, D.C.”

Moreno said he wants to work alongside someone who’s decent and works well with others — he mentioned the job isn’t an executive role and will require a collaborative approach. And lastly Moreno hopes the governor avoids “publicity seeker(s).”

“Because you have to be able to trust each other,” he said, “and you can’t be somebody who’s just constantly trying to make a name, out for themselves, and is looking at the next steppingstone.”

“It’s a weighty job,” Moreno added. “I mean, 11, 12 million people look to you and say, hey, I want you to represent me properly.”

Follow OCJ Reporter Nick Evans on Twitter.

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