Guessing who might replace Ohio Republican U.S. Sen. JD Vance if he becomes vice president is a parlor game right now.
Insiders from both parties, political strategists and arm-chair politicians all have their favorites. We asked a few for their lineups. Like a fantasy football roster, the lists are not real nor an indication of a politician’s intention. But it’s fun to draft players and speculate, especially about the Democratic bench, which has largely been ignored by pundits up until this point.
We’ll start with the GOP, since they have a head start because Republican Gov. Mike DeWine gets to fill any vacancy. (DeWine’s pick would then have to defend the seat in a special election in November of 2026 to complete Vance’s term, which runs through 2028.)
The GOP roster is full of political veterans and rookies.
State Sen. Matt Dolan of Chagrin Falls makes many lists. He self-funded an unsuccessful primary bid for the U.S. Senate this year, losing to businessman Bernie Moreno. (Dolan also finished third in the 2022 GOP U.S. Senate primary, which Vance won.) Moreno’s on several lists, if he loses to incumbent Democratic U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown in November. U.S. Rep. Max Miller of Rocky River (Moreno’s son-in-law) is also on some fantasy teams.
The GOP list also includes Jane Timken, the former Ohio Republican Party chair who finished fifth in the 2022 U.S. Senate primary; Vivek Ramaswamy, the entrepreneur who ran for president this year; and just about every other high-profile Republican office holder.
Just hours after Trump picked Vance, Democratic fantasy teams were forming. Who would try to knock out DeWine’s pick? Not surprisingly, ambitious Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb’s name was added, as well as Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval. To make the trifecta of big-C mayors, some threw in Columbus Mayor Andrew J. Ginther.
Other fantasy draftees include: State Rep. Allison Russo of Upper Arlington, the Ohio House minority leader; Tim Ryan, former U.S. Representative from Niles who lost to Vance in the November 2022; and Brown, if he loses to Moreno this November.
We’ll save the analysis about the pros and cons of each player for if any of this becomes real.
🗳️For more on this year’s November election, visit our Election Signals 2024 page.