2026 United States Senate special election in Ohio

For related races, see 2026 United States Senate elections.

The 2026 United States Senate special election in Ohio will be held on November 3, 2026, following the election of Senator JD Vance as vice president of the United States, as he is expected to resign from the Senate before assuming the vice presidency on January 20, 2025.

2026 United States Senate special election in Ohio

← 2022 November 3, 2026 2028 →

Party Republican Democratic

Incumbent U.S. senator JD Vance[a] Republican

According to Ohio law, if a U.S. Senate seat becomes vacant, the governor appoints a replacement who serves until December 15 following the next regularly scheduled statewide election that occurs more than 180 days after the vacancy. A special election to fill the remainder of the term is then held concurrently with that regular state election, which in this case would be November 3, 2026.^[1][2] Governor Mike DeWine has stated that he will announce an interim replacement after Vance has resigned his seat sometime before January.^[3]

Republican primary

Candidates

Potential

• Mike Carey, U.S. Representative from Ohio's 15th congressional district (2021–present)^[4]
• Mehek Cooke, lawyer and political consultant^[5]
• Warren Davidson, U.S. Representative from Ohio's 8th congressional district (2016–present)^[4]
• Mike DeWine, Governor of Ohio (2019–present), former Attorney General of Ohio (2011–2019), former U.S. Senator (1995–2007), former Lieutenant Governor of Ohio (1991–1994), and former U.S. Representative from Ohio's 7th congressional district (1983–1991)^[6]
• Matt Dolan, state senator from the 24th district (2017–present) and candidate for U.S. Senate in 2022 and 2024^[7][6]
• Matt Huffman, President of the Ohio Senate (2021–present) from the 12th district (2017–present)^[8]
• Jon Husted, Lieutenant Governor of Ohio (2019–present)^[7][6]
• Sharon Kennedy, Chief Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court (2023–present)^[9]
• Frank LaRose, Ohio Secretary of State (2019–present) and candidate for U.S. Senate in 2024^[7][6]
• Josh Mandel, former Ohio State Treasurer (2011–2019), nominee for U.S. Senate in 2012 and candidate in 2018 and 2022^[10]
• Robert Sprague, Ohio State Treasurer (2019–present)^[7]
• Jason Stephens, Speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives (2023–present) from the 93rd district (2019–present)^[8]
• Jane Timken, former chair of the Ohio Republican Party (2017–2021) and candidate for U.S. Senate in 2022^[7]

Declined

• Vivek Ramaswamy, former CEO of Roivant Sciences (2014–2023) and candidate for president in 2024^[11]
• Dave Yost, Ohio Attorney General (2019–present)^[7]

Democratic primary

Candidates

Publicly expressed interest

• Sherrod Brown, outgoing U.S. Senator from Ohio (2007–2025)^[12]
• Tim Ryan, former U.S. Representative from Ohio's 13th congressional district (2003–2023) and nominee for U.S. Senate in 2022^[11]

Potential

• Allison Russo, Minority Leader of the Ohio House of Representatives (2022–present) and nominee for Ohio's 15th congressional district in the 2021 special election^[13]

Notes

1. JD Vance was elected vice president of the United States in the 2024 presidential election. He is set to vacate his Senate seat on or before January 20, 2025, and governor Mike DeWine will appoint an interim successor.

References

1. Burd, Aaron (July 16, 2024). "How J.D. Vance's replacement in U.S. Senate will be picked if he becomes vice president". WCMH-TV.
2. "Filling vacancies in elective offices" (PDF). Ohio Secretary of State. p. 2. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
3. Pelzer, Jeremy (November 7, 2024). "Who will Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine pick to fill VP-elect JD Vance's U.S. Senate seat?". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
4. Miller, Andrew (November 6, 2024). "8 possible replacements that could be appointed by Ohio's governor to fill JD Vance's Senate seat". Fox News. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
5. Gancarski, A.G. (November 23, 2024). "JD Vance Senate vacancy sets up scramble in Ohio to fill seat". Florida Politics. Retrieved November 24, 2024.
6. Henry, Megan (November 6, 2024). "What will happen to J.D. Vance's Ohio U.S. Senate seat?". Ohio Capital Journal. Retrieved November 8, 2024.
7. Kronenberg, Alan (September 5, 2024). "Who Would Take Over for JD Vance or Tim Walz, and Does it Matter?". U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
8. Burd, Aaron; Fahmy, Natalie (November 6, 2024). "How Ohio will choose a Senate replacement for Vice President-elect JD Vance". WCMH-TV. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
9. Weaver, Al (November 10, 2024). "Jockeying kicks off to fill Vance vacancy in Senate". The Hill.
10. Wendler, Jacob (July 16, 2024). "Here's What Would Happen To J.D. Vance's Senate Seat If Trump Wins". Forbes. Retrieved November 10, 2024.
11. Tobias, Andrew (November 14, 2024). "Democrat Tim Ryan open to 2026 election run; who's battling for Ohio House speaker". Signal Cleveland. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
12. Daniels, Eugene; Bade, Rachael (November 15, 2024). "Playbook: Trump floods the zone with new appointees". Politico. Retrieved November 15, 2024. On whether he'd run to fill the remainder of JD Vance's Senate term: "I'm not ruling anything out."
13. "Replacing JD Vance in the U.S. Senate sets off scramble in Ohio". CBS News. November 22, 2024. Retrieved November 24, 2024.