With Tuesday's election of the Republican ticket, Sen. JD Vance (R-OH) became the vice president-elect, and talk immediately began about who would eventually fill his soon-to-be-vacant seat in the U.S. Senate.

Ohio voters will eventually make that long-term decision, but in the meantime, Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine will soon appoint a temporary replacement to serve until the next general election in 2026, according to The Cincinnati Enquirer.

The 2026 cycle will include a special primary and general election for the Senate seat. In this election, voters will choose who fills out the remainder of Vance's term, which expires in 2028. At that point, voters will again pick a senator to serve a normal six-year term.

What is DeWine looking for?

The Columbus Dispatch reported that Gov. DeWine spoke to reporters on Thursday about the process of replacing Vice President-elect Vance in the U.S. Senate, and though he declined to provide any names of who he might consider, he did speak generally of the characteristics and qualifications he'd look for in an appointee.

"It takes someone who really will focus on the state of Ohio, will focus on national issues, someone who will really work hard, someone who wants to get things done," DeWine said. "These are qualifications, I think, that are very important. It also has to be someone who could win a primary. It has to be someone who could win a general election, and then two years later, do all that again. So, this is not for the faint-hearted."

"It’s got to be someone who wants to spend the next four years not just doing the job, but running for office," the governor continued, according to the Ohio Capital Journal, and further noted, "I want someone who will hold that seat -- I hope for a long time. I think it’s in the interest of the state for them to do that."

DeWine also revealed that he has already discussed the issue with plenty of people, including those who are interested in the position and those who are not, and suggested that he would take all of that various input into consideration in making his decision.

"Well, yesterday I got a lot of calls. Look, we have great people in the state of Ohio who could serve very well in the United States Senate. So, we’re just going through the process of starting to think about this and see who would be the best person," he said. "Frankly I’m reaching out to a lot of people, I’m not going to talk about names, again. But I’m consulting a lot of people who I know are not interested, but who might have ideas about who should be."

Several probable contenders to replace Vance

Fox News reported that Gov. DeWine, who aligns more with the GOP's moderate establishment than President-elect Donald Trump's populist MAGA wing, has a long list of potential appointees from both sides of the party to consider as Sen. Vance's replacement for the next two years until the 2026 special election.

Likely at the top of that list is State Sen. Matt Dolan, who DeWine endorsed in an unsuccessful primary fight against Sen.-elect Bernie Moreno, along with Lt. Gov. Jon Husted and former Ohio Republican Party Chairwoman Jane Timken.

Other possibilities include Ohio's Secretary of State Frank LaRose, who also unsuccessfully ran against Moreno in the primary, and Attorney General Dave Yost. However, LaRose downplayed the idea as he is focused right now on certifying the state's election results, and Yost has said he wouldn't accept the appointment as he instead is planning to run for governor.

Also believed to be in the running to replace Vance as senator are two current members of Congress, Reps. Mike Carey and Warren Davidson.

Possible Sen. Ramaswamy?

All of those possible picks to replace Sen. Vance are individuals with experience in Ohio's political scene, some more so than others, but there is at least one relative newcomer to the arena who has made a big splash and earned mention as a possible contender, according to Fox News.

That would be businessman and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, who ran in the 2024 presidential primary, is close friends with Vance, and is a strong supporter of former President Trump, though he is also likely under consideration for a top position in the incoming Trump-Vance administration.