Ohio Governor Mike DeWine commented on his thought process behind appointing a new U.S. senator to represent the Buckeye State in Washington D.C. in the case that Republican nominee former President Donald Trump and Vice Presidential nominee JD Vance win the 2024 election in November.
Vance, who officially accepted the nomination to be Trump’s running mate in the 2024 presidential election last week at the Republican National Convention, was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2022.
Questions have since swirled around who DeWine may choose to appoint as Ohio’s next U.S. senator if Trump is elected and Vance assumes the role of vice president.
When asked about the “qualities” a potential candidate he would consider appointing to the U.S. Senate, DeWine said he preferably wants somebody who would intend to stay in the role for “a while.”
“I’ll look for someone who wants to get things done every day and will stay focused on it — It’s a tough job, it’s not an easy job,” DeWine said in a statement to News 5 Cleveland. “We also have to have someone who will be able to stay there a while.”
“I don’t have a short list and I don’t have a long list even yet. There are some people who’ve expressed an interest in and there are other people who’ve expressed an interest in who I do appoint,” DeWine added.
Despite the governor’s denial of not having an official list of candidates he would possibly appoint to the U.S. Senate, News 5 Cleveland reported that it interviewed over a dozen Ohio politicos who said State Senator Matt Dolan (R-Chagrin Falls) would be DeWine’s “most obvious pick.”
Dolan previously ran for U.S. Senate earlier this year but lost in the U.S. Senate Republican primary election in March to businessman Bernie Moreno, who is set to face Ohio incumbent U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown in the November 5 election.
DeWine endorsed Dolan in the primary race, saying at the time, “Matt’s service, experience, and integrity will make him the most effective voice for Ohio’s interests on the national stage.”
While he ran for U.S. Senate, Dolan was frequently branded as the “never-Trumper” and “anti-Trump Republican” in the race.
In addition to Dolan (pictured above), other names that have been floated around to fill the possible open U.S. Senate seat include Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, businessman and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, RNC Committeewoman Jane Timken, and others.
– – –
Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Ohio Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
Photo “Matt Dolan” by Matt Dolan.
