Republican Sen. Matt Dolan is looking to trade Columbus for Washington D.C.
The outgoing state senator told WOSU Monday he’s seeking the appointment to the U.S Senate seat being vacated by Vice President-Elect JD Vance.
“I still have the fire in the belly to serve Ohioans, and I think I can do a good job in the U.S. Senate to help our country and our state move forward,” Dolan said. “But I also can do it in the private sector as well.”
This isn’t Dolan’s first time making a run at Congress. He ran in the Republican primary earlier this year and came in second.
Gov. Mike DeWine endorsed Dolan then, but he’s keeping his cards close on this appointment.
“I think I’ve made myself clear on policy that I’m the right guy. He’s said he wants a workhorse, I’ve proven that in the Senate,” Dolan said. “He says we wants somebody who knows how to campaign and go out and win the election. If nothing else, I have proven that I can put a campaign together. I can raise the money and I can appeal to a cross section of voters.”
There’s just one problem with Dolan's bid: President-Elect Donald Trump.
Dolan didn’t seek Trump’s endorsement when he ran for the Senate in 2022 or 2024.
Instead, he was the only primary candidate to raise his hand when asked whether Trump should stop talking about the 2020 election.
When asked whether he could convince Trump to support him now, Dolan said they could work together on economic issues and hopes the GOP would rally behind him should he be DeWine’s choice.
Other names reportedly on DeWine’s list include Secretary of State Frank LaRose, former Ohio Republican Party Chair Jane Timken and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.
One person not running for the appointment is Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost.
“I’m an executive,” Yost told reporters on election night. “I’ve never been a legislator, and I'm not ready to end my public service, but I can’t imagine going to Washington, D.C. I would not accept that appointment.”
Yost is considering a run for Ohio governor in 2026.
