Come January, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) will have a vacancy in the U.S. Senate to fill, given that Republican Sen. JD Vance has been elected to serve as President-elect Donald Trump's vice president. Earlier this week, Ohio.news reported on a poll from WPA Intelligence on who voters want to see fill Vance's seat.
While the poll shows that 39 percent of Ohio likely voters are "undecided," the highest vote getter by name is Secretary of State Frank LaRose, who earns 17 percent in a hypothetical Senate primary. Lt. Governor Jon Husted enjoys 10 percent support, while Attorney General Dave Yost enjoys 9 percent support, with several other candidates polling behind. Husted and Yost both look to be interested in running for governor to succeed DeWine, however.
Vivek Ramaswamy, who ran for president in the Republican primary against Trump, and has since been tasked to serve with Elon Musk in running the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), and has thus withdrawn his name for consideration.
The write-up from Ohio.news also quoted DeWine speaking about potential picks:
“Some people have already contacted me. I’ve already met with some people at their request,” USA Today quoted DeWine as previously telling reporters before November’s presidential election.
“Look, being a United States senator is a big deal,” CBS News quoted the governor as saying after the election. “It’s a big deal for the state, and we need to get it right.”
Whoever is appointed to fill Vance's vacancy will be up for reelection in 2028. "Furthermore, in hypothetical general election matchups, LaRose leads with 49% to just 42% for the Democratic candidate. This indicates not only strong party loyalty but also broader appeal among undecided voters," the WPA Intelligence poll noted as part of their key findings. The poll also noted that an endorsement from Trump would likely help.
The poll was conducted November 17-20 with 1,028 likely Ohio voters.
The Ohio.news write-up highlights other positive findings for LaRose, who was endorsed by Trump for his 2022 run for Secretary of State:
Last month, LaRose filed a federal lawsuit in the U.S. Southern District of Ohio demanding that the Department of Homeland Security provide access to citizenship records, saying the agency had unlawfully withheld the information.
In August, he called on state lawmakers to pass legislation to give his office the power to mandate proof of citizenship on state-issued voter registration forms. The following month, he joined five fellow secretaries of state before the U.S. House Committee on Administration, urging congressional support for ongoing citizenship audits of state voter rolls.
LaRose has been particularly committed to voter integrity when it comes to maintaining the voter rolls, as Townhall has been covering, especially leading up to the 2024 election.
Ohio will also get a new senator come January than the one they've had for three terms, as Sen.-elect Bernie Moreno, a Republican, defeated soon to be former Sen. Sherrod Brown, a vulnerable Democratic incumbent, earlier this month. LaRose ran against Moreno in the 2024 primary and came in third, behind Moreno and state Sen. Matt Dolan, another name on the list, who earns 5 percent support in this hypothetical Senate primary. Moreno won the Republican primary in March after being endorsed by Trump last December.
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