So, what happens to the Senate seat of J.D. Vance should the Trump-Vance ticket win in November?
There is a specific section of the Ohio Revised Code — Section 3501.01 — that deals with exactly this situation.
And the central figure in that situation, should it occur, is the current Republican governor, Mike DeWine.
How it works
If the vacancy occurs, DeWine — probably in December of this year or January of 2025 — would appoint someone to the seat vacated by the vice president-elect.
Could be anyone, Republican or Democrat, as long as they are at least 30 years old and meet other requirements.
But don’t hold your breath on DeWine appointing a Democrat. Control of the Senate could be at stake.
That newly minted U.S. Senator would serve alongside either incumbent Democrat Sherrod Brown or his Republican challenger, car dealer Bernie Moreno.
At least for a while.
Since Vance is new to the Senate himself and has four more years left on his Senate term, a election would be held for the remainder of his term.
ANALYSIS: Why Trump picked Vance as his VP
Ohio law says that an election must be held in the next general election in an even-numbered year. That would be Nov. 3, 2026.
The law says that DeWine would set a primary election for the Senate seat earlier in 2026, for both the Democratic and Republican parties.
The winners of those primaries would face off in the November 2026 election for the remaining two years of Vance’s six-year Senate term.
Whoever the governor appoints to the seat is free to run in 2026, if he or she chooses.
That would likely depend on whether DeWine appoints someone who agrees to be a “caretaker” senator, with no intention of running for the seat, or a more ambitious person who wants to take up residence in the Senate for the long haul.
That would be up to DeWine.
Has this happened before?
Yes, sort of. In 1974.
Richard Nixon’s attorney general, Elliot Richardson, was fired in October 1973 when he refused to fire Archibald Cox, the special prosecutor who was investigating the Watergate affair.
It became known as the “Saturday Night Massacre” and something of a constitutional crisis as Richardson’s deputy resigned rather than carrying out Nixon’s order.
Nixon, hip deep in the Watergate scandal, limped along for months with a compliant acting attorney general until Ohio Republican William Saxbe agreed to leave the Senate to become Nixon’s attorney general just to end the turmoil.
Ohio's Democratic governor at the time, John J. Gilligan of Cincinnati, chose a wealthy Cleveland Democrat, Howard Metzenbuam, to replace Saxbe.
RELATED: Vance has clear — and changing — positions
Saxbe’s seat was up for election in 1974; and Metzenbaum lost the Democratic primary to astronaut John Glenn, who went on to win the senate seat, serving for 24 years.
Metzenbaum came back two years later and won election to Ohio’s other Senate seat.
Who might DeWine choose if Vance is elected VP?
Hard to say at this point. But we’ve talked to some GOP insiders who offer some possibilities. Here’s a look at some of them:
Vivek Ramaswamy
After Vance was announced as Trump’s running mate, the wealthy and outspoken Cincinnati native was a name that came to the minds of many Ohio Republicans immediately.
Ramaswamy ran for the GOP presidential nomination, winning not a single delegate, and has been loudly championing Trump ever since.
But he’s a political flame-thrower, a shouter, a performance artist. Not the type of guy DeWine, who comes from a more traditional Republican background, is likely to hand a seat in the Senate. DeWine served there quite a while and takes the job of U.S. Senator seriously.
Matt Dolan
Now you are getting closer to the mark for DeWine. Dolan, the state senator from the Cleveland suburbs, is highly respected in the Ohio legislature.
From the archives: Does Matt Dolan, who doesn't court Trump, have a chance?
Dolan, whose family owns the Cleveland Guardians baseball team, has lost twice in GOP senate primaries — once in 2022 and again this year. Dolan had DeWine's support in the U.S. Senate primary that went to Vance two years ago, and he was the only candidate in that crowded primary who didn’t cater to Trump.
Trump has no use for him. But DeWine has the pick.
Jane Timken
No woman from Ohio has ever served in the U.S. Senate. And given the fact that this is the 21st century, it may be high time Ohio has a woman in the Senate — Republican or Democratic.
Two years ago, Timken — former chair of the Ohio Republican Party — ran in the contested primary that produced Vance. Former U.S. Sen. Rob Portman, whose seat was up for grabs, endorsed Timken over Vance and the rest of the field.
A definite maybe. And so too, according to some Ohio political observers, is Jane Portman, the wife of the former senator. A smart and accomplished woman, particularly in the field of preventing drug abuse.
Frank LaRose
LaRose's name has popped up in the conversation and, since he is term-limited as Ohio's secretary of state, would likely jump at the chance.
But the fact is that he ran in this year’s Senate primary and came in dead last in a field of three, despite having the best name recognition.
ANALYSIS: Analysis: LaRose praises Trump for proposing a law that already exists
He’s developing a reputation in some GOP circles as an also-ran — not only in his senate race, but in his disastrous touting of a 2022 ballot issue to raise the threshold for passing constitutional amendments and his opposition to last year’s abortion rights amendment, which was approved by 57% of Ohio voters.
DeWine has already said he wants somebody who can run and keep the seat.
Not sure LaRose could do that.
