U.S. Rep. Mike Carey (R-OH-15) is on the list of potential appointees to fill the U.S. Senate seat of Vice President-elect J.D. Vance (R-Ohio).
Carey, who won the 15th District Congressional seat in a 2021 special election after the resignation of U.S. Rep. Steve Stivers ®, won re-election on Nov. 5, garnering 56.52% of the vote to Democratic challenger Adam Miller’s 43.48%, reported Fox News.
Vance, who has served as U.S. Senator from Ohio since his election in 2022, will step down to take the oath of office as Vice President. It will then be up to Gov. Mike DeWine (R-Ohio) to appoint a replacement to fill the seat.
That appointee will serve as U.S. Senator until a November 2026 special election is held to determine who will serve the remainder of Vance’s term, which is up in 2028.
Carey “has strong relationships with both Trump and DeWine,” and has expressed his interest in the seat to DeWine, reported Fox News.
Townhall columnist Brian McNicoll wrote this summer that DeWine’s appointment is important because “whoever DeWine picks would have a leg up on winning the election in 2026 and keeping the job indefinitely.”
Carey, wrote McNicoll, “supported fellow Ohioan Jim Jordan for Speaker and has backed MAGA initiatives on Capitol Hill consistently.”
“He can raise money, and he has a brand that would position him well for a re-election race in 2026,” McNicoll wrote.
Carey, who was endorsed by Trump in the 2021 Primary Election, worked in the energy industry prior to being elected to Congress. He was the vice president of government affairs at Murray Energy Corporation, one of the largest privately-owned coal companies in the United States.
A graduate of Ohio State University (OSU) and Marion Military Institute, Carey lives in Columbus with his wife, Meghan. They have three sons, one of whom is attending OSU.
