How J.D. Vance’s replacement in U.S. Senate will be picked if he becomes vice president

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Former President Donald Trump has selected Sen. J.D. Vance as his running mate, but who will serve the U.S. Senate from Ohio if the Republican ticket wins back the White House?

If Trump were to defeat President Joe Biden — the Democrat’s presumptive nominee — in the Nov. 5 election, Vance would be sworn in as vice president on Jan. 20, leaving a vacancy for one of Ohio’s two U.S. Senate seats.

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According to Section 3521.02 of the Ohio Revised Code, replacing Vance would be left up to Gov. Mike DeWine.

When one of Ohio’s seats in the U.S. Senate opens up due to resignation, death or another reason, state law calls for the governor to fill the seat by appointment. Winning the vice presidency would force Vance to resign.

In Ohio, an appointed U.S. Senator holds office until Dec. 15 following the first regular state election that takes place over 180 days after the vacancy opens up — or Nov. 3, 2026, in this case. That means the appointed senator would serve until Dec. 15, 2026, Secretary of State Frank LaRose’s office confirmed.

Election Day 2026 would then feature a special election in Ohio to fill the vacancy. Candidates in the special election would be nominated through the same process as regular state elections. The winner would take over at the end of the appointee’s less than two years in office.

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Vance was elected to U.S. Senate in 2022, defeating former Rep. Tim Ryan with over 53% of the vote. He replaced Rob Portman, who held the seat from 2011 to 2023. With him taking office Jan. 3, 2023, Vance’s term would expire Jan. 3, 2029.

Republicans who ran against Vance in the 2022 primary included Cleveland businessman Bernie Moreno, who’s now challenging Sen. Sherrod Brown in the general election this November. Brown has been in the Senate since 2007. Moreno, who received Trump’s primary endorsement, has never been elected to political office.

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