With Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, now the vice president-elect, his Senate seat is poised to become vacant, leaving it to Ohio Republican Gov. Mike DeWine to appoint a replacement. That process is sure to see some jockeying from different Senate factions and a handful of would-be senators who lost out to Trump picks in the last few primaries.
Vance won election to his seat in the 2022 midterms after securing now-President-elect Donald Trump’s endorsement in a crowded Republican primary. Republican Bernie Moreno secured Trump’s support for his 2024 bid and he managed to oust Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, this week. Brown, the incumbent, has held the seat since 2006. Moreno managed to defeat state Sen. Matt Dolan, R-Ohio, and Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose in primaries, but both could be eyeing Vance’s seat.