What will happen to J.D. Vance’s Ohio US Senate seat?
Ohio U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance will become the next vice president, thus creating a vacancy in the U.S. Senate.
Former President Donald Trump and his running mate Vance defeated Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz in the presidential election that was called Wednesday morning by the Associated Press. Vance will have to resign from his Senate seat before being sworn in as vice president during Inauguration Day on Jan. 20.
It is now up to Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine to pick a Republican to fill Vance’s open Senate seat until a special election is held in 2026. Whoever DeWine appoints must run in the 2026 special election if they want to keep their seat.
Vance is currently serving his first term in the U.S. Senate after being elected over Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan in 2022. Whoever wins the 2026 special election will serve the remainder of Vance’s term, which expires in 2028.
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 including state Sen. Matt Dolan, Lt. Gov. Jon Husted, Republican National Committee Committeewoman for Ohio Jane Timken, former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy and Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, among others.
Republican Bernie Moreno defeated incumbent Democratic U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown in a hotly contested Senate race on Tuesday. Some have speculated whether Brown might seek the Ohio U.S. Senate seat in 2026.
Megan Henry is a reporter for the Ohio Capital Journal and has spent the past five years reporting in Ohio on various topics including education, healthcare, business and crime. She previously worked at The Columbus Dispatch, part of the USA Today Network. Follow OCJ Reporter Megan Henry on X.
Ohio Capital Journal is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.
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