What will happen to JD Vance’s Senate seat if Trump chooses him as Vice President and is re-elected?

If Sen. J.D. Vance gets the nod from former President Trump to be his 2024 running mate and the ticket wins the White House in November, the Ohio Republican senator’s seat will be in the hands of a decidedly non-MAGA GOP governor.

Trump is expected to make an announcement on his selection by mid-July, and Vance is widely believed to be on his short list. If Vance trades his Senate seat for the vice presidency, Gov. Mike DeWine, a fellow Republican, will choose who will finish his term. Vance hopes that happens.

“I care a lot about national defense, I care a lot about whether the troops have what they need to fight,” Vance said on Fox News last week in a conversation about his potential vice presidential job. “Frankly, I care a lot about whether, when we ask our children to go to war, we need to make sure that it’s for the right reasons. And so you certainly think about these things, maybe a little differently , as a U.S. Marine.”

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Vance could also be a potent weapon against the Biden campaign, with former Vice President Kamala Harris communications director Ashley Etienne calling him “the biggest threat” in a vice presidential debate.

“I think JD Vance would pose the biggest threat (to) Kamala Harris, in some ways. I mean, he’s an incredible debater,” Etienne told CNN earlier this month. “I think he has this quality that makes him seem palpable to the one or two percent who might vote or who are undecided, who will actually pay attention to the debates because most people don’t pay attention.”

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DeWine will certainly choose another Republican to fill the vacant Senate seat if Vance gets a winning ticket, but he is unlikely to choose as ardent a supporter of Trump’s agenda as Vance. DeWine has had a lukewarm relationship with Trump, even refusing to openly support him in the 2024 election. For his part, Trump has criticized the Republican governor for various policies, such as vetoing a bill banning transgender surgeries for minors last year. DeWine has remained relatively mum on his thoughts about Trump, treading carefully with his support for the 45th president without offering his full support.

Trump endorsed DeWine in his 2018 gubernatorial election, and despite previous criticism of the governor, Trump has endorsed him again in his 2022 election.

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“We have an exceptional person coming forward, Mike DeWine, who is quietly but professionally doing his job and very well,” Trump said at the time.

In the scenario of a Trump-Vance general election victory, DeWine has a multitude of Republican options, including both establishment Republicans and a handful of Trump-backed Republicans, such as Rep. Mike Carey, the Ohio-based newspaper The Plain Dealer reported last week.

The governor’s office told Fox News Digital on Sunday when asked about possible plans to fill a vacancy that there were currently “no vacancies to comment on.”

DeWine must consider many factors if he is indeed tasked with filling the seat, including nominating someone who can stay in place and retain the seat, The Plain Dealer pointed out.

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The outlet reported that state Sen. Matt Dolan could be tapped as a potential replacement for Vance, or Secretary of State Frank LaRose, or Jane Timken, who received support from Trump and establishment Republicans in her 2022 Senate campaign. Dolan and LaRose both ran in the GOP primary in an effort to unseat Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown in the general election, but lost to Trump-backed candidate Bernie Moreno.

“If Senator Vance is elected vice president, most informed Ohio Republicans expect Governor DeWine to nominate a consensus Republican to his seat who will support President Trump’s priorities in Washington, not someone who is antagonistic to him,” an Ohio Republican representative told Fox News Digital, allaying concerns of a potential clash between establishment Republicans and MAGA supporters.

Vance has become a strong supporter of Trump, putting him at the top of the list of potential vice presidential candidates. The Republican senator, however, criticized Trump several times in 2016, notably comparing him to Hitler. The senator has since completely disavowed his comments and stressed to voters that he is not afraid to admit when he is wrong.

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“I’m torn between thinking that Trump is a cynical asshole like Nixon who wouldn’t be so bad (and might even prove useful) or that he is America’s Hitler. How is that discouraging?” Vance wrote to an old friend in the winter of 2016.

“I’m a Never Trump guy,” Vance said on another occasion during an interview with Charlie Rose in 2016. “I never liked him.”

Vance has taken the previous comments head on in media interviews, including an interview with Fox News’ Bret Baier earlier this month.

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“Look, I was wrong about Donald Trump,” Vance said. “I didn’t think he would be a good president, Bret. He was a great president. And that’s one of the reasons I’m working so hard to make sure he gets a second term. »

Trump campaign senior adviser Jason Miller also brushed aside Vance’s previous comments, pointing the finger at Fox News Digital for Harris’ comments regarding President Biden before she was chosen as his running mate.

“Kamala Harris has described Joe Biden as a racist who opposes integrating public schools and has more or less said that Biden sympathized with a former KKK leader in Robert Byrd. By comparison, President Trump and any of his future vice presidents will be much more sympathetic,” Miller said.

Throughout the election campaign, Vance has repeatedly offered his unequivocal support for Trump, including in an interview with Fox News last week, when he called Trump a “great president” who brought prosperity, freedom and “peace to the world stage.”

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Vance also joined Trump in Manhattan court last month when the 45th president faced 34 counts of falsifying business records, calling the case a “threat to American democracy.” Trump was ultimately convicted in that case, but has maintained his innocence while characterizing the trial as election interference promoted by the Biden administration ahead of 2024.

Vance is listed alongside other potential picks for Trump’s running mate this year, including North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, Florida Senator Marco Rubio, South Carolina Senator Tim Scott and former HUD Secretary, Dr. Ben Carson.

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Trump has remained media-shy about his choice of vice presidential nominee, but said this month that he had made his decision – adding that no one knew yet about his choice. He added that the possible running mate would be present during the 2024 presidential debate last Thursday. Vance, along with other potential candidates, was among those present at the debate.

Trump has already said he will formally announce his choice just before or during the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, which will be held from July 15 to 18. However, the 45th president could make the announcement even earlier.

Get the latest 2024 election campaign updates, exclusive interviews and more on our Fox News Digital election hub.