If Sen. J.D. Vance is tapped by former President Trump as his 2024 vice presidential running mate and wins the White House in November, his Ohio Republican Senate seat would go to a decidedly non-MAGA Republican governor.
Trump is expected to announce his pick by mid-July, and Vance is widely believed to be on the shortlist. If Vance were to give up his senate seat to become vice president, Republican Gov. Mike DeWine would get to decide who would finish out his term, which Vance hopes will happen.
“I care very much about our national defense. I care very much about making sure our soldiers have what they need to fight,” Vance told Fox News last week during a conversation about a possible vice presidential run. “Frankly, when you ask your kids to go to war, I care very much about making sure it’s for the right reasons. So as a U.S. Marine, I would definitely think about these things, probably a little bit differently.”
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Senator J.D. Vance attends a hearing of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee on June 22, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Nathan Howard/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Vance could also be a powerful weapon against the Biden campaign, with Vice President Kamala Harris’ former communications director Ashley Etienne calling him the “biggest threat” in the vice presidential debate.
“I think J.D. Vance is going to be the biggest threat. [to] “In a way, it’s Kamala Harris. I mean, she’s a great debater,” Etienne told CNN earlier this month. “I think she has a quality that really brings to the forefront the 1 or 2 percent of people who might actually vote or who are undecided, who actually pay attention to the debates, because most people don’t care about the debates.”
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Governor Mike DeWine speaks at a press conference in Columbus, Ohio, on Dec. 29, 2023. (AP Photo/Carolyn Custer)
Governor DeWine would undoubtedly choose a Republican colleague to fill the vacant Senate seat left by Vance if elected, but he is unlikely to choose someone as ardent a supporter of Trump’s policies as Vance. Governor DeWine has a frosty relationship with Trump, even refusing to fully endorse him in the 2024 election. Trump, meanwhile, has criticized various policies of the Republican governor, including vetoing a bill last year that would have banned sex-reassignment surgery for minors. Governor DeWine has remained relatively quiet about his views on Trump, treading carefully without loudly expressing his support for the 45th president.
President Trump supported DeWine in the 2018 gubernatorial election and has endorsed him again in the 2022 election, despite his previous criticism of the governor.
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“We have a great guy running in Mike DeWine, who has done a great job quietly but professionally and done a great job,” Trump said at the time.
In a scenario in which Trump-Vance wins the general election, DeWine has a number of strong Republican opponents, including both mainstream Republicans and Republicans who support Trump, such as Ohio Rep. Mike Carey, R-S.C. The Plain Dealer reported last week:.
When asked Sunday whether there were plans to fill the vacancies, the governor’s office told Fox News Digital that at this time there are “no vacancies that we can comment on.”
Former President Trump and Republican U.S. Senate candidate J.D. Vance address supporters during a rally at Dayton International Airport on Nov. 7, 2022, in Vandalia, Ohio. (Drew Ungerer/Getty Images)
The Plain Dealer stressed that if DeWine is indeed tasked with filling the seat, there are several factors he would have to consider, including appointing someone with the staying power to keep the seat.
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The outlet reported that Vance could be succeeded by state Sen. Matt Dolan, Secretary of State Frank LaRose, or Jane Timken, who has the backing of both Trump and the Republican establishment in the 2022 Senate election. Both Dolan and LaRose tried to beat Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown in the Republican primary but lost to Trump-backed candidate Bernie Moreno.
“If Senator Vance is selected as vice president, most knowledgeable Ohio Republicans expect Governor DeWine will appoint a Republican as vice president who supports President Trump’s priorities in Washington and not someone who is his opponent,” an Ohio GOP activist told Fox News Digital, allaying concerns about a potential clash between mainstream Republicans and MAGA supporters.
Vance emerged as a strong supporter of Trump and rose to the top of the presidential race, but as a Republican senator in 2016 he repeatedly criticized the president, including likening him to Hitler. He later fully denied making those comments and stressed to voters that he is not afraid to admit when he is wrong.
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“Either you think Trump is a cynical jerk like Nixon who isn’t all that bad (and may even be useful), or you think he’s America’s Hitler. It’s disheartening,” Vance wrote to an old friend in the winter of 2016.
“I’m a Never-Trump guy,” Vance said in an interview with Charlie Rose in 2016. “I’ve never liked him.”
Former President Trump’s running mate field appears to have been narrowed down to three candidates: North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, Ohio Senator J.D. Vance, and Florida Senator Marco Rubio. (Getty Images)
Vance has stood by his previous comments in interviews with the media, including with Fox News’ Bret Baier earlier this month.
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“Look, I was wrong about Donald Trump,” Vance said. “Brett, I didn’t think he’d be a good president. He’s been a great president. That’s one of the reasons I’m working so hard to give him a second term.”
Senator J.D. Vance speaks to reporters outside Manhattan Criminal Court on May 13, 2024 in New York. (Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Jason Miller, a senior adviser to the Trump campaign, also dismissed Vance’s earlier comments, telling Fox News Digital that the comments were made before Harris was selected as Biden’s running mate.
“Kamala Harris has described Joe Biden as a racist who opposes public school integration and has more or less said that Biden is close to former KKK leader Robert Byrd. By comparison, President Trump and his running mate would be a much better fit,” Miller said.
During the campaign, Vance repeatedly voiced his unequivocal support for Trump, and in an interview with Fox News last week called Trump a “great president” who he said had brought prosperity, freedom and “peace on the world stage.”
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Vance was with Trump in a Manhattan courtroom last month when the 45th president was indicted on 34 charges of falsifying business records, calling the case a “threat to American democracy.” Trump was ultimately convicted in the case but continues to maintain his innocence, slamming the trial as an attempt by the Biden administration to meddle in the election ahead of 2024.
President Biden during the first presidential debate with former President Trump, Thursday, June 27, 2024, in Atlanta. (Eva Marie Uzcategui/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Vance is listed as a possible running mate for President Trump this year, along with North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott and former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Dr. Ben Carson.
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Trump has kept mum about his running mate choice, but said this month that he had made a decision, adding that no one knows the choice yet. He also added that the running mate is scheduled to attend the 2024 presidential debate last Thursday. Vance was at the debate along with the other potential running mates.
Former President Trump speaking at the debate. (Andrew Caballero Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)
Trump has previously said he would make a formal announcement just before or during the Republican National Convention, which runs from July 15 to 18 in Milwaukee, but the 45th president could make the announcement even sooner.
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