Fill That ‘Other’ Open Senate Seat in Ohio with Rep. Mike Carey

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We’ve heard a lot in recent days about the jockeying for the U.S. Senate seat in Florida that will be vacated soon when Sen. Marco Rubio is sworn in as secretary of state in the new Trump administration. 

Will it be Lara Trump, daughter-in-law of the president and savior of the RNC? Or Byron Donalds, an effective congressman? Or will Gov. Ron DeSantis, who will be term-limited out of office in two years, simply appoint himself?

We don’t know the answer to that, but what we do know is we’ve heard next to nothing about another Senate seat that will have to be filled in coming weeks – the Ohio seat now held by Vice President-elect JD Vance. And that could be because Gov. Mike DeWine, the frustratingly “moderate” chief executive of Ohio, does not have a lot of similarly high-profile options. 

The “race,” as it were, is actually pretty remarkable so far for how many people want out. Attorney General Dave Yost and Lt. Gov. Jon Husted want to run for governor and wouldn’t accept the seat if nominated, according to Michael Gonidakis, CEO of Ohio Right to Life. 

Vivek Ramaswamy, who is from Dayton, has said he intends to focus on his work with Elon Musk on the Department of Government Efficiency project anwithdrew his name from consideration for the Senate seat. 

Frank LaRose, Ohio’s secretary of state, lost to Moreno in the Senate primary, but he was endorsed by Trump in his 2022 race for his current office and would accept the nomination if granted. 

State Sen. Matt Dolan and former Ohio GOP Chair Jane Timken have apparently said they want it. But the criteria DeWine has established – must be able to raise money, win primaries and general elections in both 2026 and 2028, and strike a balance between supporting the Trump agenda and hewing to the Ohio brand of conservatism embodied by DeWine and Rob Portman – work against both. 

Dolan, an executive with the Cleveland Guardians baseball team (previously known as the Indians before they caved to the woke mob), got DeWine’s endorsement in the Republican primary in this cycle but finished a disappointing second to Bernie Moreno, who defeated Sherrod Brown and will take over in January. Dolan also lost out in the primary Vance won in 2022 and has been called a RINO by Trump. This would suggest he’s not necessarily the strongest candidate going into 2026. 

Timken, who would be Ohio’s first female senator if selected, finished a distant fifth in the primary Vance won in 2022 and is not seen as a serious contender. 

Another individual who has seemingly attempted to insert herself into the discussion is Ohio attorney and Trump supporter, Mehak Cooke. She has been described as a perennial candidate in Ohio who has thrown her hat in the ring for every open seat in recent memory, losing a Statehouse bid in 2020,, and had issues managing staff (and keeping them) when she was in state government.  

It is unknown if her public comments in support of Trump would be enough to tip the scales in her favor after having worked as a key aide to then Lt. Governor Mary Taylor in her unsuccessful primary challenge to Governor DeWine, and before that worked for noted RINO and Trump hater former Gov John Kasich.  

DeWine could also appoint himself, but he’s 77 and looking to retire at the end of this term, not buckle up for two more bruising campaigns. He also could appoint Portman, the popular former senator. But Portman has been out of politics for three years and would be unlikely to pursue re-election.

Congressman Mike Carey checks all the right boxes. He’s from Columbus, just won his second term in Congress with nearly 57% of the vote and is both supportive of Trump’s agenda – he’s earned two endorsements from the incoming president – and is independent enough to please DeWine.  

Carey replaced Rep. Steve Stivers, who served 20 years before leaving Congress in 2021 to become president of the Ohio Chamber of Commerce. He supported fellow Ohioan Jim Jordan for speaker and consistently has backed MAGA initiatives on Capitol Hill. He can raise money, and his brand will position him appropriately to win in 2026 and probably 2028 as well. 

Carey is in the sweet spot of what DeWine has said he wants.  His support for (and from) first responders such as cops and firefighters in the state also is notable.

His one potential drawback is that his leaving could erode the tiny House Republican majority even more – but Carey’s easy victory earlier this month suggests the seat would not fall to the Democrats. And in the short-term, Speaker Johnson is setting up the budget process so that for the important votes to come in the House would be held off until replacements for the House GOP members who have left can be filled and in place before their votes are needed to adopt President Trump’s agenda.  

A lot has happened in just a few months since the last primary fight for the Senate seat– and a lot that transpired over recent months suggests Carey is a better pick for the Senate than others in the field.  

Perhaps Dolan would be better served focusing on getting the Guardians back into the playoffs. Has DeWine changed his mind since the earlier endorsement of him in his losing primary challenge to Moreno? We’ll know soon, but if he wants the seat to stay in GOP hands beyond the next couple of years, Carey seems like the best pick he could make.