Politics
NEW: Dark Horse Candidate Emerges In Race To Fill J.D. Vance’s Senate Seat
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine is reportedly considering an Ohio attorney who has represented President-elect Donald Trump to fill the state’s soon-to-be open U.S. Senate seat when J.D. Vance is sworn in as vice president in January, according to a report from Fox News.
Attorney Mehek Cooke, a Republican attorney who served as a political and legal surrogate for Trump in 2024, has emerged as a candidate in the crowded field, a source familiar with the matter told Fox News. Cooke has garnered a reputation as a formidable GOP fundraiser in Ohio and has defended the former president against politically motivated prosecutions in numerous network segments.
Under Ohio law, Governor DeWine will be tasked with selecting a replacement for Vance until 2026. At that point, a special election will be held to determine who will serve out the remainder of Vance’s term, which ends in 2028. The winner of the special election will then have to run again in 2028 in order to secure a full, six-year term.
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Trump recently carried the state — which was considered a battleground before the president-elect carried it in 2016 — by 11 percentage points.
Trump’s popularity in the state reportedly bodes well for Cooke, who previously ran for Ohio House of Representatives in 2020. She also spent time in the 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 worked on a number of serious criminal cases.
She is also the founder of American Frontier Strategies and has worked as a political consultant and commentator across the state of Ohio. Marty Savko, the chair of the Columbus-based earth moving company Savko & Sons, told Fox News that Cooke is “totally 100% in touch with both the average man and wife” in Ohio.
From Cooke’s official website
“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,” he 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.”
“I’m always ready to answer the call of duty, but I’m also focused right now on doing the job Ohioans hired me to do,” LaRose told the outlet when asked for comment. “We delivered another secure, accurate and accessible election for Ohio voters, and that work continues. We need to certify the results on an expedited timeline to accommodate the electoral college meeting next month.”
“We’re still working with our boards of elections to process absentee ballots and help voters cure provisional ballots. We’ve got a potential recount in one congressional district race. We’re also not letting up the pressure on the Biden administration to give us the federal citizenship records we need to ensure the accuracy of Ohio’s voter rolls. There’s a lot to be done. I know Governor DeWine has an important decision to make, and I’m confident he’ll do what’s in the best interest of Ohio.”
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