Potential candidates emerge to replace Vance's Ohio Senate seat

Republican Gov. Mike DeWine is considering hiring an Ohio lawyer and an attorney for Trump to fill the Senate seat after Vice President-elect J.D. Vance leaves the job and moves to the White House. FOX News Digital reported.

Mehek Cook, a Republican attorney who served as President Trump's political and legal representative, will be selected to fill Vance's seat in 2024, a person familiar with the situation told Fox News Digital. It is said to be under consideration.

Known as a formidable fundraiser in Ohio, Cook has appeared on Fox News and vocally supported President-elect Trump in the 2024 election, with Trump winning Ohio by 11 points and losing ground in the state. Support is seen as beneficial. Considerable weight.

Under state law, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine is a Republican who will succeed Vance in the Senate until a special election is held in November 2026 to determine who will serve the remainder of Vance's term, which ends in 2028. is to be selected. To begin a new six-year term, another election will need to be held in 2028.

Vance is a “catbird seat” for the 2028 Republican presidential nomination, but these Republicans could also run.

Mr. Cook, who ran for the Ohio House of Representatives in 2020, served as Chief Assistant Counsel in the Ohio Governor's Office from 2012 to 2014, and in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Ohio, where he handled criminal cases involving corruption and terrorism. . , drug trafficking, asset forfeiture, money laundering.

Cook, a wife and mother of two, was born in India and legally immigrated to the United States with her family when she was five years old. Cook is also the founder and president of American Frontier Strategies and has worked around the world as a political consultant and commentator. Oh.

Marty Sabko, chairman of Subko & Sons, a civil engineering firm in Columbus, Ohio, that has been in business for 75 years, told Fox News Digital that Cook was “completely in tune with both the average man and his wife.” We are in contact 100%.”

“She is a proud American and proud of this country, and she has a very kind heart and understands that not everyone has the same opportunities. She believes strongly in what is right and what is wrong, and you know where she stands.”

“She is not part of a faction, like people who come to Washington or even go into the state capitol here in Ohio, and they become part of a faction and vote according to their faction. No, she's a person with her own determination. She feels what's best for everyone involved, and she's honest, very honest, and very direct.”

Sabko, a prominent donor to President Trump, told Fox News Digital that Cook is a “warrior” in the same mold as the past two statewide senators, J.D. Vance and Bernie Moreno. He said that.

People close to the situation told Fox News Digital that empowering women is important to Mr. DeWine and that he would like to appoint a woman to the seat, although gender is not a deciding factor.

Republican Jane Timken, an Ohio attorney who served as the chair of the Ohio Republican Party from 2017 to 2021, is also widely considered a potential candidate to replace Vance.

Other candidates reportedly include Ohio Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose, Republican Lt. Gov. Jon Husted, Attorney General Dave Yost, Finance Secretary Robert Sprague, and state Sen. Matt Dolan. Includes MPs.

Yost and Husted, who have said they will not accept the position, are believed to be focusing on the upcoming gubernatorial election to replace DeWine. Former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy's name had been floated, but he recently accepted a position in the Trump administration and withdrew his name.

Three Republicans currently serving in Congress are also thought to be options: Reps. Mike Carey, David Joyce, and Warren Davidson.

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Republican vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance speaks on stage during the third day of the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum on July 17, 2024 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Joe Radle/Getty Images)

Mr. Carey, who has strong ties to both Mr. Trump and Mr. DeWine, contacted Mr. DeWine shortly after Mr. Vance was selected, a person familiar with the discussions said this summer.

Mr. DeWine, who is seen as a member of the Republican establishment, will have to balance appointing someone highly regarded by both Trump supporters and more moderate wings of the party.

Officials told Fox News Digital that DeWine's decision is not imminent and will be announced once Vance officially leaves his seat.

Spokespeople for Cook and DeWine's offices declined to comment.

DeWine press secretary Dan Tierney told Fox News Digital earlier this month that the timing of the governor's announcement depends on when Vance officially retires from his Senate seat, and the governor plans to appoint “key people.” He said that.

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Ohio Governor Mike DeWine stands on stage at the Fiserv Forum during preparations for the Republican National Convention (RNC) on July 14, 2024 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Tierney said DeWine is looking for a “main force” who is “qualified and ready to win the trust of the next generation of Ohio voters.”