So, JD Vance is now the Vice President-Elect of the United States of America. That’s great news, for anyone to the right of Georgy Malenkov. But here’s the thing: JD Vance is still a senator, representing the sovereign state of Ohio. So what happens on January 20th, when JD Vance is sworn in as vice president?
Short answer: Vice President Vance will vacate his Senate seat, and Ohio Governor Mike DeWine will appoint a replacement.
Even if the margins in the chamber were closer, Republicans wouldn’t have to worry about there being a gap in their ranks. There will not be an election to select Vance’s replacement. Instead, Gov. Mike DeWine (R-OH) will tap his successor, meaning deep-red Ohio is guaranteed to have two senators representing it in Washington.
Vance was elected in November 2022, and his term was set to expire in January 2029. However, Vance will vacate his seat in January 2025 when he is inaugurated as vice president.
DeWine’s pick to replace Vance will serve until a special election is held in 2026. The winner of the special election will serve until early 2029, and in November 2028, an election will be held for a full six-year term.
Prior to Trump’s election victory, DeWine told USA Today that he had met with several contenders.
The candidate list is, to say the least, interesting.
Potential names began floating around months ago. Former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy said he would “strongly consider” being senator, though he’s also eyeing a bid for governor in 2026. Another prospect is Jane Timken, who served as chair of the Ohio Republican Party and ran for Senate in 2022.
DeWine could also go with his previous pick: State Sen. Matt Dolan, R-Chagrin Falls, who lost to Bernie Moreno in this year’s GOP primary despite the governor’s endorsement. Secretary of State Frank LaRose ran against Moreno and Dolan and told Signal Cleveland he’d be interested in the appointment.
Vivek Ramaswamy would, to say the least, liven up the Senate some, but it’s likely Governor DeWine will go with a more traditional candidate – Dolan seems the likely choice, given that Governor DeWine has already supported him for that very role.
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Ohio is one of 36 states in which a Senate vacancy is filled by a gubernatorial appointment. In Ohio, the appointed senator then serves until the next regular general election; so, whoever Governor DeWine appoints will serve until 2026, when a special election is held. The winner of that special election serves the remainder of the original term, following which they may run for reelection in their own right. Senator – now Vice President-elect – Vance’s Senate election bid would have been in 2028.
Elections have many consequences. This general election is no exception, and President-elect Donald Trump (I love typing that) seems to have some pretty broad coattails – the GOP is looking to pick up two to three Senate seats, so no matter who Governor DeWine appoints, they will be part of a comfortable majority – and since Ohio has become a pretty reliably Republican state, the new Senator’s odds of holding that seat are pretty good.
