By Jim Ellis — Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024
Senate
Vice President-Elect and current Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance.
Currently, with the Arizona race now called for Phoenix Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego (Pennsylvania may still go to a recount if the final margin falls to within half a percentage point), more Senate political intrigue will soon take center stage in the Buckeye State.
Because Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance has been elected vice president, an opening will occur once he resigns his current position prior to assuming his new national VP post. That means that Gov. Mike DeWine (R) will choose Sen. Vance’s replacement, and his decision may not only affect the Senate.
Ohio Gov. DeWine is serving his final two years as governor. When he first ran for his current post in 2018 a highly competitive Republican primary was forming with he, then-Secretary of State Jon Husted, and then-Lt. Gov. Mary Taylor. DeWine, the Ohio attorney general at the time after previously serving in the US Senate — as lieutenant governor, in the US House, and the state Senate — was favored by most to win the primary, but the outcome was not certain.
Just before the filing deadline, Husted approached the attorney general and offered to drop out of the governor’s race if DeWine would support him for lieutenant governor. In Ohio, the governor and lieutenant governor are individually elected. DeWine accepted and the two then ran successfully as a team.
Now we approach the beginning of the 2026 election cycle. Gov. DeWine cannot succeed himself and both Lt. Gov. Husted and Attorney General Dave Yost (R) have already announced their intentions to run for the state’s top position. Therefore, the new Senate appointment could be a very attractive option for one of the two. The other then benefits by having an easier run through the Republican gubernatorial primary.
Should such a deal emerge, and this assumes the governor doesn’t have other ideas for a replacement choice, a difficult intra-party battle could once again be avoided through a joint agreement.
One place the governor surely will not turn is to fill the Senate opening is the Ohio congressional delegation. With the Republican US House majority again becoming razor thin, the party leadership may not be able to relinquish a vote during the vacancy period associated with a special election to replace the chosen Ohio member. Therefore, it is highly unlikely that the governor will choose a sitting House member as his appointed senator.
In terms of the Senate, the timing of the appointment will be interesting. With Republican Bernie Moreno unseating veteran Sen. Sherrod Brown (D) last Tuesday and Vance leaving the Senate, freshman Moreno will likely become Ohio’s senior senator upon being sworn into office.
Yet, the timing of the resignation and appointment could well decide whether Moreno or the appointed lawmaker is the senior senator. Should Vance resign before the Senate convenes on Jan. 3, 2025 and DeWine makes a quick appointment, Moreno and the Senate-designee would be sworn in together.
Should Sen. Vance resign after the Senate is sworn in — he will become vice president on Jan. 20, 2025 — Moreno would become senior senator upon taking office with the appointed senator taking office a few days later.
With the victories of Moreno and Republican senators-elect Tim Sheehy (MT), David McCormick (PA), and Jim Justice (WV), the GOP will have 52 senators plus the Vance vacancy. It is likely they will want to hit the ground running with a new Majority Leader since current Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is stepping down from his post. Therefore, having an additional vote could be important if the Senate wants to consider major legislation early in the new Congress, so DeWine will be encouraged to make a quick appointment.
Appointing a Senate replacement for Vice President-Elect Vance apparently features many facets. Therefore, not only the individual chosen, but also the timing of the appointment would affect not only the personnel hierarchy but early significant legislation, as well.
