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The candidates vying for Trump vice president pick JD Vance's coveted Ohio Senate seat
Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance has been chosen as former President Donald Trump's vice presidential pick and now a crowded pack of Republicans are gunning to replace him in the Senate.
The perfect candidate would need to strike a delicate balance that wins the favors of both the even-keeled Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and Donald Trump's MAGA base.
The moment Trump posted on Truth Social that he'd picked Vance, dozens of ambitious Ohio politicians began privately expressing interest in the seat.
Some sources believe DeWine will tap Matt Dolan - but he's already ran for the Senate seat from Ohio unsuccessfully twice.
DeWine endorsed Dolan's 2024 primary race, though the state senator is not fully behind former President Trump which could also pose an issue.
Some sources believe DeWine will tap Matt Dolan - but he's already ran for the Senate seat from Ohio unsuccessfully twice
Former President Donald J Trump makes an early appearance on the first night of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin at the Fiserv Forum next to VP pick JD Vance
'If DeWine could pick Dolan he would, I think he knows he can't do that. And Dolan knows it too,' said one source involved in Ohio politics.
Other members of Congress - Reps. Warren Davidson, Mike Carey and Dave Joyce - could also be under consideration - and have expressed interest in the seat. Rep. Jim Jordan, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, hasn't ruled out the prospect.
In conversations with half a dozen sources plugged in to Ohio politics, none seemed to agree on who the governor might be leaning toward.
Another name thrown around is Vivek Ramaswamy - the Ohio entrepreneur who shook up the presidential debates in his own presidential run - though insiders say he doesn't appear to be currying DeWine's favor.
'He's after the wrong audience,' said one source involved in the Ohio political scene, suggesting Ramaswamy is more focused on firing up a national MAGA base than the Ohio governor.
'Who else wants JD Vance’s Senate seat to be filled by [Ramaswamy]?' Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, wrote on X.
'Sounds great,' Elon Msuk replied.
Ramaswamy told reporters at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee that he'd be open to the role.
'I’d keep an eye on Jane Timken,' said another source plugged in to Ohio politics. 'Balances MAGA and traditional Republican.
Timken was the chair of the Ohio Republican Party from 2017 to 2021. While she lost the Senate primary to Vance in 2022, she tried to paint herself as a Trump loyalist.
Another name thrown around is Vivek Ramaswamy - the Ohio entrepreneur who shook up the presidential debates in his own presidential run - though insiders say he doesn't appear to be currying DeWine's favor
Frank Larose is the former Ohio secretary of state who lost a Senate primary to Bernie Moreno this year
'Wouldn’t count [Frank] LaRose out but he wouldn’t make it out of a primary when the time comes. The conventional wisdom is Dolan, but he'd have the same problem plus Trump team would veto that.'
Larose is the former Ohio secretary of state who lost a Senate primary to Bernie Moreno this year. While Larose tried to burnish his MAGA credentials throughout the race, he couldn't shake his pragmatic centrist reputation.
Another source mentioned Timken and Larose as 'dark horse' candidates.
And another said state attorney general Dave Yost could be a 'dark horse' candidate to 'clear the 2026 governor primary for [Lt. Gov. Jon] Husted.'
Yost was involved in Trump's efforts to overturn the election results in 2020 and played a key role in defending the Ohio abortion law that banned abortion after six weeks into a pregnancy.
Vance, the Hillbilly Elegy author and first-term senator, sailed to victory in 2022 against Democratic nominee Tim Ryan 53 to 47.