Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and Lt. Gov. Jon Husted visited Mar-a-Lago to meet with President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect J.D. Vance ahead of the governor’s nomination for the U.S. Senate.
This is one of the most crucial decisions DeWine will have to make soon.
“I’m still interviewing people about their interest in serving in the United States Senate,” DeWine told reporters Friday.
Current Ohio Senator J.D. Vance will have to resign by Inauguration Day, thus vacating his coveted seat.
The governor has previously said he wants someone who can win not only the 2026 primary and general elections but can stay in office in 2028.
“It has to be someone who really wants and does the job, and who we think has the ability to do it,” he said, adding that the Senate nominee would also be able to stay in the job for a long time.
People also have to take care of their role, he continued.
“We need someone who will really focus on the state of Ohio, focus on national issues – someone who will really work hard…” DeWine said after the November election. “It’s not for the faint of heart, it’s not for someone who just wants to sit down.”
At a breakfast the governor hosted for reporters earlier this month, he added a fresh remark.
“You’re especially important when the numbers are, I think, 53-47,” DeWine said. “Every voice matters.”
Asked if the razor-thin majority in the U.S. House of Representatives would have played a role in his decision, he said it was a “factor” in his decision.
“This is reality,” the governor said. “This is where we are today, after the president took a few.”
That means he probably won’t nominate a sitting member of Congress.
Last week, we spoke with more than three dozen Republican strategists, consultants, lobbyists and campaign staffers.
When it came down to it, the extensive majority viewed Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted as the favorite. We’ve been trying to catch DeWine on Husted for weeks.
During the breakfast, guest Statehouse journalists sat down with the Governor, First Lady Fran and the Lieutenant Governor, as well as members of their communications team. After eating, DeWine stood up and asked about 30 to 45 minutes of questions.
As you might expect, the first question asked was about an update on the Senate election. He explained his criteria and danced around probing questions.
“Does it happen that the candidate is in the room at a different table?” we asked. “His name could rhyme with Ron Rusted.”
The governor, laughing and trying to divert attention, said, “no comment on this matter.” Husted laughed and seemed to blush.
At Friday’s press conference, we tried again.
“What were your conversations with Governor Jon Husted like about his potential run for U.S. Senate?” we asked the voivode.
“Well, I’m not going to… look,” the governor said with a seemingly amused (or annoyed) smirk that lasted less than a second. “I won’t talk about anything about it.”
However, the governor and the LG team confirmed exclusively to us that the couple was recently at Mar-a-Lago to meet with Trump and Vance, but declined to comment on their conversation.
But a week earlier at breakfast, DeWine said he had spoken to Trump and Vance about the nomination.
As strategists told me, Husted was the leader only in recent days. That’s because LG has always wanted to be governor and DeWine supports that candidacy.
Still, a U.S. Senate seat appears valuable — especially when the fate of the 2026 governor’s race is unclear.
Husted is expected to run for governor against Attorney General Dave Yost. However, in the last few months, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy has shown interest.
Ramaswamy, of Cincinnati, currently serves as chairman of the unofficial “Department of Government Efficiency” under Trump, but has expressed interest in being appointed to the Senate.
“Trump’s decisive victory on Tuesday opens up many opportunities to change the country,” Ramaswamy replied when we asked about his interest in the seat immediately after the election. “We are obviously having discussions and they will not be resolved in the press.”
Strategists believe Ramaswamy would pose a threat to Husted, given that he is a renowned multimillionaire and could finance his own campaign.
After DeWine finished the breakfast question segment, we asked if we could ask Husted one last question.
“If you had a choice, would you rather be a senator or governor?” we asked.
He didn’t answer, but both he and the governor laughed. DeWine then shut down the herd.
But if it’s not Husted, there are other names that strategists talk about with high praise.
Let’s move on to the names
This list is not exhaustive and reflects only the views of more than thirty Ohio political figures working in various offices and professions. This is an updated list from my version immediately after the election.
To prevent you from getting scammed by politicians trying to scam their clients or friends, we have created restrictions. Each of the people on this list has been mentioned to us a dozen times.
Jane Timken
Jane Timken from Northeast Ohio was one of the most popular names.
She is a Trump ally who ran for U.S. Senate in 2022 and currently serves as an RNC committee member in Ohio. He also has good relationships with institutional Republicans like Rob Portman.
She would be Ohio’s first female senator.
“I would be honored to serve Ohio in the United States Senate,” Timken told me. “Obviously, that decision is up to Governor DeWine.”
More than a third of politicians we interviewed said Timken. She thinks it makes sense for many reasons, including DeWine’s legacy. Some added that he had a disposition similar to that of the governor.
Robert Sprague
Ohio Treasurer Robert Sprague also showed up consistently.
He has been working in politics for years. He previously served as a member of the House of Representatives, representing parts of northwest Ohio. He previously served as Findlay’s auditor and treasurer.
“The treasurer has won statewide twice, has never lost an election and has served Ohioans with integrity in the treasurer’s office,” said Sprague campaign spokesman Dalton Throckmorton. “He deserves to be part of the conversation.”
Sprague would be a sharp choice for DeWine because he has a similar temperament but is more conservative and could gain Trump’s support, politicians say.
Jay Edwards
State Rep. Jay Edwards’ name has been popping up in the last two weeks, but it’s still rising.
Edwards serves as chairman of the House Finance Committee. Represents Southeast Ohio. He is the youngest on this list and would be the youngest senator if appointed. That could be a good thing, strategists say, because he could spend years there and gain seniority.
The legislature continues to be one of the strongest fundraisers of the entire General Assembly.
Edwards declined to comment.
Frank LaRose
knot. instate Frank LaRose was mentioned as a possibility.
In 2024, he ran for the United States Senate. He was a U.S. Army Special Forces Green Beret before representing part of northeast Ohio in the state Senate.
“Secretary LaRose has always fulfilled her responsibilities. He has been a soldier, a senator and has held statewide office, so he has a lot to offer Ohioans in the U.S. Senate if the governor asks him to serve there,” said LaRose spokesman Dan Lushek. “For now, my focus is on the mission at hand, which is completing one of the smoothest and most successful presidential elections in the nation’s history and preparing for the next election cycle.”
However, more than half of the politicians we spoke to said LaRose was seeking a seat in the Trump administration.
Matt Dolan
State Sen. Matt Dolan was the early favorite. Strategists say it collapsed when they realized it probably wouldn’t win Trump’s support.
Dolan, one of the most moderate Republicans in the Statehouse, serves as chairman of the Senate Finance Committee. Represents Northeast Ohio.
DeWine endorsed Dolan in the recent Republican primary for U.S. Senate, but finished second to Bernie Moreno. Politicians have suggested that if Dolan is not appointed, DeWine will likely support him fill another role, possibly including LG if Husted takes the job.
His team declined to comment.
Lidia Michalik
Lydia Mihalik is the director of the Ohio Department of Development and a close ally of the governor. She emerged, like Edwards, over the past week.
She was previously mayor of Findlay before DeWine chose her to lead the department. Under her tenure, Intel, Honda, GM and Ford have all decided to invest in the state.
She would be a great choice, but probably wouldn’t be a “rubber stamp for Trump,” many strategists said.
Either way, he doesn’t seem to want it.
“My focus is on state government, and that’s where I intend to stay involved,” Mihalik said.
Honorary mentions
Before DeWine commented that he probably wouldn’t pick Congress, strategists picked U.S. Reps. Mike Carey, Warren Davidson and Dave Joyce.
DeWine’s timeline
DeWine has some time to think it over.
“I understand that Senator Vance will not resign until the first of the year,” the governor said. “So it’s unlikely we’ll have anything before then.”
To be clear, it’s possible that all of these politicians were wrong and that DeWine will appoint a “dark horse.”
This article was originally published on News5Cleveland.com and are published in the Ohio Capital Journal under a content sharing agreement. Unlike other OCJ articles, it is not available for free republication on other news outlets because it is owned by WEWS in Cleveland.
Follow WEWS statehouse reporter Morgan Trau Twitter AND Facebook.
YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE.
