The search for a Senate successor to Vice President-elect JD Vance is intensifying Division of opinion among Ohio Republicanshis loyalties are split between establishment-friendly Gov. Mike DeWine and President-elect Donald Trump.
DeWine, who It was endorsed against a Trump-backed candidate The race for Ohio’s other Senate seat this year will appoint someone to fill Vance’s seat for at least the final two years of his 2022 term until a special election in 2026. Plaintiffs are already lobbying him hard.
“His phone is ringing off the hook,” DeWine spokesman Dan Tierney told NBC News.
DeWine said he prefers to pick someone who can win the GOP primary in two years. And his pick will likely face a quick loyalty test with Trump, Vance and the voters who gave them a landslide victory in Ohio: a tough confirmation battle for several of Trump’s expected Cabinet nominees.
He wants Trump for the defense minister Pete Hegsethwho is a former Fox News anchor said that women should not serve in combat and who was accused but never accusedsexual harassment. Trump also intends to run for office anti-vaccination activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as secretary of health and human services and former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard which is Hawaii He is accused of strengthening Russian propagandaas director of national intelligence. And Trump planned to run for attorney general former Rep. Matt Gaetz Investigated by the Florida Department of Justice but not charged with sex trafficking allegations. Gaetz withdrew from the debate Thursday afternoon.
Vance consulted with DeWine about the Senate nomination, two sources familiar with the discussions said. He also accompanied Gaetz and Hexeth to meetings with other senators this week posts on social media Trump’s victory entitles him to “a cabinet committed to the agenda he was elected to implement.”
Meanwhile, those close to Trump and Vance are watching closely to see how Vance’s potential successors handle questions about Trump’s choices.
“We don’t expect to appoint someone as ideologically aligned with President Trump’s agenda as JD, but there is an expectation that whoever gets it broadly supports his policies and will publicly support his Cabinet nominees. anyone who wants the job,” said a senior Trump worldwide operative who spoke on condition of anonymity to share his inner thoughts.
Some of the prospects to replace Vance are paying close attention to what they say about Trump’s tough choices, if they say anything at all. Of the nine Republicans who sought or were named in the nomination, only four responded when asked if they supported Gaetz, Gabbard, Hegseth and Kennedy. (Each of the Senate prospects who responded to questions did so before Gaetz was considered for attorney general.)
“President-elect Trump deserves to have the people he wants in his Cabinet, and his nominations are consistent with his promise to shake up Washington, so I support him,” said state Treasurer Robert Sprague, who declined to offer any public endorsement. , the spokesman said in a statement. “Each of his nominees will undergo the deliberative review of the US Senate’s confirmation process. In carrying out its duty to ratify the constitution, I believe the Senate’s confirmation ensures a cabinet worthy of the public’s confidence.”
Another potential appointee, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, “is very supportive of getting the team together. [Trump and Vance] and are excited about what they can accomplish,” said his spokesman, Dan Lushek.
Worried, Lushek confirmed that LaRose would endorse the candidacies of Gaetz, Gabbard, Hegseth and Kennedy.
Rep. Mike Carey, whose ties to DeWine and Trump make him a top prospect, may be a tougher sell. Carey said interview with Spectrum News last week He was “surprised” by Trump’s selection of Gaetz to lead the Justice Department and said he did not believe Gaetz would be confirmed.
“I just don’t see it happening,” Carey told Spectrum. (He did not respond to a request for comment for this article.)
Two lesser-known prospects offered enthusiastic and unequivocal endorsements.
“I proudly support ALL of President Trump’s nominees,” state Rep. Jay Edwards said in a text message. “Any Republican who hesitates on this question has misunderstood the mandate the people gave him on November 5th.”
Attorney Mehek Cook, who worked in former Gov. John Kasich’s administration and campaigned against Ohio’s successful constitutional amendment to codify abortion rights, pledged his “strong support. [Trump’s] Bold Cabinet picks were chosen to serve the people, not political agendas.
“Anyone, Republican or Democrat, who stands in the way of that vision has no place in Washington,” Cook said.
Jane Timken, a member of the Republican National Committee and former state party chairwoman, was among those who did not respond to questions about Trump’s choices. Lt. Gov. John Husted, who is preparing to run for governor when DeWine’s term expires in 2026 but has not ruled out accepting a Senate nomination, declined to comment.
While Vance has not said when he will resign from the Senate, DeWine is ready to move quickly with an appointment. If possible, DeWine would like to exercise the option before Jan. 3, the start of the next term, to ensure that Vance’s successor is more likely. Tierney, a spokesman for the governor, said he is more senior than the first-year senators elected in November.
GOP operatives in Ohio have long said DeWine could use the meeting to help clear the primary field for Husted’s gubernatorial bid, perhaps picking Sprague or state Attorney General Dave Yost, who has shown interest in the race.
But Yost, who this week posted a video A source close to him has teased his upcoming campaign for governor, saying he is not seeking the appointment. Husted’s other potential challenger in 2026, Vivek Ramaswamy, withdrew from the race for the Senate seat after Trump tapped him to run. government efficiency project with billionaire Elon Musk.
DeWine, a former senator, favors a number of qualities in the search for Vance’s successor, Tierney said. He wants someone who is serious about policy and legislation – not someone who is more focused on executive politics. He also favors a long-serving candidate, meaning he doesn’t plan to appoint a “walker” who would agree not to run for the seat in the 2026 special election.
When asked if Trump’s Cabinet picks were part of DeWine’s considerations, Tierney emphasized the governor’s desire for his pick to win that year’s GOP primary.
“The governor wants his choice ratified by the voters in the Republican primary, and the governor wants his choice ratified by the voters in the general election — and then again two years later,” Tierney said.
That calculation could work against several candidates, including Timken, who finished fifth behind Vance and others in the 2022 Senate primary; LaRose, who finished last in this year’s Senate primary; and state Sen. Matt Dolan, who lost both of those primaries.
DeWine has endorsed Dolan in this year’s race, putting the governor at odds with Trump, who supports businessman Bernie Moreno. Moreno Dolan and LaRose won easily and then fired Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown.
Dolan, whose advisors did not respond to requests for comment, looking for a destination. But Republicans close to DeWine are skeptical that even after DeWine’s endorsement, the governor will nominate someone voters already rejected in the previous race.
Moreno, for his part, singled out Gaetz, Gabbard, Hegseth and Kennedy in a statement this week pledging to support Trump’s cabinet picks.
“The American people gave President Trump a mandate, and it is critical that Senate Republicans quickly confirm his nominees,” he said. “Our Republican majority must come together and form a strong cabinet so we can begin implementing the America-First agenda as soon as possible.”