The benefit of Ohio Senate frontrunners
In preparation of becoming Vice President, Ohio’s U.S. Senator JD Vance has officially resigned, effective January 10, and therefore leaves an open seat to be filled by Ohio Governor Mike DeWine. Although the Governor has not been forthcoming about those under consideration, a few of the rumored frontrunners would have significant benefits to the state and nation at large.
Lt. Governor Jon Husted (R-Dayton)
Lt. Governor Husted has climbed the ladder in Ohio politics in one of the most stereotypical ways, and he is one stop away from the Governorship, which has been his longtime goal according to all political circles I’m in. He’s served as the Speaker of the Ohio House, Secretary of State, and most recently is serving as Lieutenant. Before the controversy surrounding DeWine and the heated 2022 primary, in which less than 50% of Ohio Republicans voted for DeWine/Husted to retain the nomination, Husted was seen as the next governor if he wanted it.
More recently, however, Attorney General Dave Yost (R-Columbus) has thrown his name in the ring, in a not-so-cryptic X video. I have seen Yost trek the state throughout 2023 and 2024, when he was not formally running for anything. He has been putting in the work, and I believe he has a serious chance at winning a GOP primary for Governor.
Where does that leave Husted? He’s been second-in-command for eight years, has served at the top of the legislative branch, and according to his LinkedIn does not hold a law degree. I have to imagine he would prefer a smooth, campaign-free ride to the Senate over a competitive primary with the charismatic AG. Who wouldn’t?
The benefit: The Governor candidate once believed to be a shoe-in will be out of the race, and will open up competitiveness to others. We may see a primary involving even more candidates, and I believe competitive primaries make stronger Republicans and a stronger party.
Former Ohio GOP Chair Jane Timken (R-Canton)
Jane Timken served as Ohio GOP Chairwoman from 2017 to 2021, and ousted the chairman-turned-inmate and Kasich ally Matt Borges. More recently, she placed fifth in a seven-man primary for the U.S. Senate to replace Sen. Rob Portman, receiving 5.87% of the vote after having receipts totaling $8.7 million.
As ORP chair in 2018, she was influential in getting Governor DeWine across the finish line in his 4-point victory against former Attorney General Richard Cordray.
I’m not sure why DeWine would appoint her, but she seems to be on his radar.
The benefit: She would be easy for a conservative candidate to defeat in 2026. She ran for this Senate seat in 2022 and received just around 60,000 votes after spending a fortune on TV ads and door knockers. If Ohio wanted to vote for her, they would’ve.
Representative Mike Carey (R-Columbus)
Rep. Mike Carey won an 11-way primary for a special election House seat in August of 2021. Carey had Trump’s endorsement and a lot of money backing him, but it frankly wasn’t a close race even with well-known Ohio House members in the mix. He has proven himself to be a hard campaigner, running in the special Primary and General just a few months before running for a full term in 2022.
He has been campaigning for the Senate seat pretty hard, including having county central committees sign letters of recommendation to the Governor for his appointment.
The benefit: Not much, for this one. If we lose another House rep, our one seat majority in that chamber will be non-existent, and depending what Gov. DeSantis (R-FL) does about his open Senate seat, we may even create a Democrat majority.
I like Rep. Carey, but I don’t believe this is the time to poach House representatives.
Let me know what you think on who Gov. DeWine may appoint by emailing me (mailbag@gopjosh.com) or commenting on our Substack. I just hope it’s a true conservative Republican!