‘I’d love To Be A Part Of The Senate’: Meet The GOP Rep Seeking To Replace Vance On Capitol Hill

Ohio Republican Rep. Mike Carey discussed his bid to fill Vice President-elect JD Vance’s Senate seat, in an interview with the Daily Caller News Foundation.

With Vance set to resign from the Senate prior to the Trump administration’s inauguration on Jan. 20, Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine must appoint a Republican to serve alongside Senator-elect Bernie Moreno until a special election in 2026. Carey is one of several Ohio Republicans that have been floated to replace Vance, but his supporters argue that his good relationships with both Trump and DeWine and his proven ability to win competitive races make him uniquely positioned to hold Vance’s seat for the GOP through 2026 and beyond.

“No matter who he appoints, I will support the governor’s decision,” Carey, who has been in contact with DeWine about the appointment, told the DCNF in an interview. “But I’d love to be a part of the Senate.”

Carey is currently serving in his first full term after winning a special election in November 2021 to represent Ohio’s 15th Congressional District. Trump notably endorsed Carey before the district’s competitive Republican primary in August 2021 during which Carey defeated ten other candidates winning nearly 40% of the vote.

“Congressman Mike Carey is a tireless advocate for the incredible people of Ohio’s 15th Congressional District,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on March 17, 2024, in an endorsement of Carey’s reelection bid. “A Proud Veteran, Mike is fighting to Secure the Border, Uphold the Rule of Law, Grow the Economy, Cut Taxes, Eliminate Needless Regulations, Support our Brave Military / Veterans, and Protect and Defend our always under siege Second Amendment.”

“Mike Carey is an America First Champion – He Endorsed me on the first day of my Campaign, and has my Complete and Total Endorsement!,” Trump added.

One of Carey’s previous primary opponents and several labor groups have also endorsed the Ohio congressman’s Senate bid, according to interviews and a written statement given to the DCNF.

“He’s proved himself to be able to win contested primaries,” Ohio state representative Jeff LaRe, who also described Carey as “level-headed” and a “great legislator,” told the DCNF in an interview. LaRe placed second in the 11-way Republican primary Carey won in 2021 following Trump’s endorsement of Carey.

“Mike’s been a great friend of the firefighters for years. Since he’s been in Congress, he’s been one of our top advocates,” Steve Stein, president of the Columbus Firefighters Union, told the DCNF. “He’s one of the people that always shows up for us.”

The Ohio Association of Professional Firefighters also endorsed Carey’s prospective Senate appointment in a letter to DeWine on Nov. 12.

Carey, a member of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, the House’s chief tax-writing committee, told the DCNF that one his top priorities in the upcoming Congress — whether as a member of the House or the Senate — will be preserving the more than $3.4 trillion in tax cuts the first Trump administration signed into law in December 2017. Many of the tax cut provisions under the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act are set to expire at the end of 2025 barring their extension with new legislation passed by the Republican-controlled House and Senate in the next Congress.

Carey, a former coal executive, has also been a strong advocate for supporting an “all-of-the-above” energy approach that prioritizes the United States’ energy security and the availability of cheap, reliable energy sources. He has sharply criticized the Biden-Harris administration’s regulatory actions that have sought to tamp down coal and natural gas generation.

Carey also told the DCNF that he’s proud of his work in introducing bipartisan legislation that would give caregivers additional resources to clarify which Medicare benefits they may be eligible for and provide financial incentives to convert vacant office buildings into housing.

Republican Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan, former Ohio GOP chairwoman Jane Timken, Secretary of State Frank LaRose and state Sen. Matt Dolan are also under consideration to fill Vance’s Senate seat, the Daily Caller previously reported.

DeWine’s appointment of Carey to succeed Vance could further jeopardize the House Republican conference’s slim majority until special elections are able to take place early next year. Republicans currently hold a six-seat majority in the House with five races yet to be called by the AP.

DeWine’s office did not respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.

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