Pro-Trump Name Emerges To Take Vance’s Place In Senate
When a senator ascends to the presidency or vice presidency, it sparks a high-stakes contest for their replacement, turning into a significant political audition for the state’s governor.
This scenario is now unfolding in Ohio, as Vice President-elect JD Vance prepares to join President-elect Donald Trump in Washington, D.C. The "sweepstakes" to fill Vance’s Senate seat has kicked off, as reported by Fox News.
Numerous contenders are vying for the coveted position, with one name standing out to Fox News viewers. Republican attorney Mehek Cooke, a prominent pro-Trump advocate who served as a political and legal surrogate for the president-elect, has emerged as a leading candidate, sources close to GOP Governor Mike DeWine’s inner circle told Fox News.
Cooke was a regular presence on Fox News during the campaign, promoting Trump’s agenda. Elevating women in leadership roles is reportedly a priority for Governor DeWine, which further boosts Cooke’s prospects.
Under Ohio state law, the governor is tasked with appointing Vance’s replacement, who will serve until a special election in November 2026. The winner of that election will complete the remainder of Vance’s term, ending in 2028, at which point a new six-year term election will occur. By 2028, Vance himself may be campaigning for the presidency, as Trump’s second term would conclude.
In 2028, Vance could be campaigning to be President of the United States as president-elect. Trump can only serve until then because he was previously president.
“Cooke, who ran for Ohio House of Representatives in 2020, spent time as the assistant chief counsel in the Ohio governor’s office from 2012 to 2014 and in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio, where she handled criminal cases involving corruption, terrorism, drug trafficking, asset forfeiture, and money laundering,” Fox News said in its report.
“Cooke, a wife and mother of two, was born in India and immigrated legally to the United States with her family at the age of 5. Cooke is also the founder and President of American Frontier Strategies and has worked as a political consultant and commentator across the state of Ohio,” it said.
Marty Savko, who chairs a 75-year-old earth moving company in the Buckeye State, said that Cooke “is totally 100% in touch with both the average man and wife” in Ohio.
“She’s a proud American citizen, she’s proud of this country and she very much has a kind heart and realizes that not everyone has the same opportunities. She is a firm believer in what’s right and what’s wrong, and you know where she stands.,” the Savko & Sons chair said.
“She’s not part of a clique like some people get to Washington or even get in the state house here in Ohio, and they become part of a clique, and they vote with the clique. No, she’s a person of her own determination and what she feels is the best for everyone involved, and she’s honest, extremely honest, extremely forthright,” he said as he called her a “fighter” like Vance and new Ohio Sen. Bernie Moreno.
Another possible replacement for the vice president-elect is Republican attorney Jane Timken, Fox News reported.
“Other candidates reportedly in the mix include Ohio’s Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose, Republican Lt. Gov. Jon Husted, Attorney General Dave Yost, Treasurer Robert Sprague and State Sen. Matt Dolan,” the report said.
“Yost, who has said he wouldn’t accept the position, and Husted are believed to be focused on the upcoming governor’s race to replace DeWine. Former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy had been floated as a possibility but he recently accepted a position in the Trump administration and withdrew his name,” it said.
Sources who spoke to Fox News indicated that the governor is not in a rush and the announcement on a replacement will be made in line with when the vice president-elect officially vacates his position in the Senate.