Dem
47
GOP
53
Last night, at midnight, J.D. Vance formally resigned his U.S. Senate seat. That means that Gov. Mike DeWine (R-OH) is now free to name a replacement. Reportedly, DeWine favors Lt. Gov. Jon Husted (R), but Husted is not sure he's interested (probably because he wants to run to replace DeWine when DeWine is term-limited in 2026). If it's not Husted, former Ohio GOP chair Jane Timken, state Rep. Jay Edwards (R) and state Treasurer Robert Sprague (R) are in the running.
We have seen nothing, and can find nothing, that explains why Vance took so long to resign. It's not like he's been doing the job anyhow, and if he had resigned a week ago, his successor could have been seated before all the new senators-elect were. That would have put Vance's replacement at #90 on the Senate seniority list; now that person will be #100. This is not likely to matter too much this year, but it could very well matter at some point in the future.
Meanwhile, in other Ohio politics news, Amy Acton (D) has thrown her hat into the ring for the aforementioned 2026 gubernatorial election. She is the doctor who led the Buckeye State's COVID response, and she and DeWine received much praise for their leadership and empathy while doing so. Then, DeWine caved to MAGA pressure and did a 180, bringing an end to mask mandates, distancing requirements, etc. The partnership broke down, Acton became a regular target of death threats, and she resigned her position as Director of the Ohio Department of Public Health.
Ohio is a pretty red state these days, and has only elected one Democrat to the governor's mansion since 1988 (Ted Strickland, who served a single term from 2007-11). Acton is gambling that there will be an anti-Republican and anti-MAGA backlash in 2026, and that she'll ride a blue wave into office. It's not a crazy gamble, but it's definitely a gamble. (Z)