The 2026 United States Senate special election in Ohio will be held no later than November 3, 2026, following the election of Senator JD Vance as vice president of the United States , as he's expected to resign from the Senate before assuming the vice presidency on January 20, 2025 .
2026 United States Senate special election in Ohio
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 regular state election that occurs more than 180 days after the vacancy. A special election to fill the remainder of the term is then held during that regular state election, which in this case would be November 3, 2026.[ 1] [ 2] 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 [ 4] Warren Davidson , U.S. Representative from Ohio's 8th congressional district [ 4] Matt Dolan , state senator and candidate for U.S. Senate in 2022 and 2024 [ 5] Matt Huffman , President of the Ohio Senate [ 6] Jon Husted , Lieutenant Governor of Ohio [ 5] Frank LaRose , Ohio Secretary of State and candidate for U.S. Senate in 2024[ 5] Vivek Ramaswamy , businessman and candidate for president in 2024 [ 5] Robert Sprague , Ohio State Treasurer [ 5] Jason Stephens , Speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives [ 6] Jane Timken , former chairwoman of the Ohio Republican Party and candidate for this seat in 2022 [ 5]
Declined
Notes
References
^ 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 ^ "Filling vacancies in elective offices" (PDF) . Ohio Secretary of State. p. 2. Retrieved November 6, 2024 .^ 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 . ^ a b 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 . ^ a b c d e f g 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 . ^ a b 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 .
