Do Republicans Lose Senate Seat if JD Vance Becomes Vice President?

Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are just days away from facing off on November 5, and a Trump victory would leave a temporary vacancy in the Senate.
Polls give Harris and Trump roughly even chances to win, with the vice president holding a 1.3-point lead nationally on Tuesday, according to FiveThirtyEight’s aggregate of recent polls.
If the former president wins, his running mate, Senator JD Vance of Ohio, would have to give up his seat in the Senate to assume the role of vice president. But that seat wouldn’t stay vacant for long.
Governor Mike DeWine, a Republican who has at times been critical of Vance, would be tasked with appointing Vance’s replacement. Governors have the authority to appoint a new senator when a vacancy arises and to call special elections for vacancies in the House of Representatives.
The Ohio Revised Code says: “When a vacancy occurs in the representation of this state in the Senate of the United States by death, resignation, or otherwise, the vacancy shall be filled forthwith by appointment by the governor who may appoint some suitable person having the necessary qualifications for senator.”
DeWine has not said anything publicly about whom he would consider for the role.
In June, DeWine spokesperson Daniel Tierney told Cleveland-based newspaper The Plain Dealer that the governor would not be considering a replacement until it was clear there would be a vacancy.
“We do not have a vacancy. Out of respect to both U.S. senators, we are not contemplating what would happen if either were not able to finish the term to which they are elected,” Tierney said.
Tierney pointed to those comments when reached by Newsweek for comment.
Once DeWine makes his appointment, Vance’s replacement would face voters for the first time in 2026, in the off-year race to serve out the rest of the term. Whoever wins that election will be up for reelection two years later in 2028. Senators face reelection every six years.
If the appointee wins, that person will continue serving out the rest of the term. If the appointee loses, whoever wins will take office on December 15, 2026.
“The special election shall be governed in all respects by the laws controlling regular state elections for such office,” the Ohio Revised Code says. “Candidates to be voted for at the special election shall be nominated in the same manner as is provided for the nomination of candidates at regular state elections.”
Vance was elected in 2022, defeating former Representative Tim Ryan by 6 points in Ohio, a swing state that has drifted toward the GOP in recent years. Ohio’s other Senate seat, currently held by Sherrod Brown, is up this year and is viewed as a toss-up, with either Brown or Republican Bernie Moreno having a chance at winning.
This means that if Trump wins, Ohio will have Senate races every election cycle from 2022 to 2030.