Ohio congressman vying to replace JD Vance in the Senate says Trump's agenda must be priority on 'Day One'

Rep. Mike Carey, R-Ohio, is among a crowded database of contenders vying to regenerate Vice President-elect JD Vance erstwhile helium formally resigns from the U.S. Senate. 

In an interrogation with Fox News Digital, Carey, a erstwhile ember lobbyist and combat seasoned who won Ohio’s 15th legislature territory for the 3rd time, touted his acquisition moving with President-elect Trump successful the backstage sector. Carey argued that whomever Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine chooses to regenerate Vance volition request to beryllium acceptable connected "day one" to assistance instrumentality the caller administration’s agenda. Vance has yet to formally resign.

With 3 endorsements from Trump nether his belt, Carey said the president-elect "needs idiosyncratic successful the Senate that volition marque definite that we get his docket through."

"I deliberation that's the astir important thing, due to the fact that I privation the president to beryllium successful. I deliberation the American radical privation the president to beryllium successful," Carey told Fox News Digital. "And I deliberation that's what we request from a legislator from the authorities of Ohio. And truthful I'd beryllium honored to assistance him determination his docket guardant successful the U.S. Senate." 

"I deliberation you request to person idiosyncratic that's capable to commencement connected Day One, deed the crushed moving arsenic a U.S. senator," Carey, who serves connected the House Ways and Means Committee and Committee connected House Administration, said. "You don't privation to person idiosyncratic coming successful from the large authorities of Ohio who has to beryllium connected the job training. And truthful we've had a way grounds of occurrence present successful the, you know, successful the 15th Congressional District. I tin easy parlay that into the Senate." 

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Mike Carey speaks astatine a rally hosted by erstwhile President Donald Trump aft receiving his endorsement connected June 26, 2021, successful Wellington, Ohio.  (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Through his enactment connected the House Committee connected Administration, Carey said helium helped unafraid bipartisan enactment for and yet President Biden’s signature connected the measure that launched the Congressional Election Observer program. That programme deploys legislature canvass watchers to hotly contested House races. 

Carey besides said the adjacent legislator has to beryllium cognizant of the diverse quality of the state. 

"I've spent a beingness successful Ohio. Born and raised successful Ohio. But I deliberation the legislator has to recognize we are a unsocial state," Carey said. "There is simply a crushed wherefore Columbus, Ohio, is the trial marketplace for immoderate merchandise arsenic it relates to nutrient services, due to the fact that we are a microcosm of the United States, and that is truly Ohio."

Similarly, Carey said that his district, which has an astir 22% number colonisation and stretches from municipality Columbus westbound crossed suburban areas and smaller towns and agrarian farmland, "is truly a microcosm of the authorities of Ohio." Carey said helium outperformed Republican Sen.-elect Bernie Moreno successful his territory by implicit 18,000 votes. 

Moreno, a Trump-backed Cleveland businessman, garnered 50.18% of the vote, defeating incumbent Democrat Sen. Sherrod Brown successful a important flip earlier this month. Carey, meanwhile, secured re-election successful the House, receiving 56.52% of the vote. 

"In an R-5 district, we won by 13 points. So, you know, I deliberation I person a way record. And I besides think, you know, if radical look astatine my voting grounds and the things that I person done, I brought backmost implicit $60 cardinal successful 3 years. I mean, I've lone been successful bureau for 3 years," Carey said. "I was successful the backstage assemblage earlier that. So I'm not a vocation politician. But the accidental to service the authorities that I love, you know, I grew up successful Cincinnati and Sabina and served successful the subject up astatine Camp Perry. My family's from Cleveland and spent my vocation successful Appalachia. So there's cipher that knows the authorities immoderate amended than me. An accidental to service each the radical of Ohio would beryllium the grant of my life." 

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., left, and Vice President-elect Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, locomotion unneurotic connected Capitol Hill, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024, successful Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

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On the run trail, Trump highlighted 2 issues Carey said helium worked connected personally: tax credits for caregivers and in-vitro fertilization (IVF). Most of the 27 bills Carey introduced successful the House person had astatine slightest 1 Democratic co-sponsor, the congressman said, including the Credit for Caring Act, which provides aa $3,000 taxation recognition for location wellness attraction providers who privation to enactment astatine location to instrumentality attraction of their loved ones. 

Over the past respective months, Carey said helium has besides been moving connected a taxation recognition for Americans "who simply conscionable can’t spend IVF." 

"If idiosyncratic wants to person a child, we should bash everything imaginable to springiness them the accidental to person a child," Carey told Fox News Digital. "So, again, some very, I think, bipartisan ideas that the president has pushed forward. I'd beryllium honored to enactment connected those successful the Senate and, you know, honored to enactment connected them present successful the House."

Rep. Mike Carey, R-Ohio, listens during the House Ways and Means markup proceeding of  the Default Prevention Act connected Thursday, March 9, 2023. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

DeWine indicated that his enactment indispensable beryllium good positioned to stave disconnected Democrats’ chances of reclaiming a spot successful the Ohio Senate delegation successful November 2026, erstwhile a peculiar predetermination volition beryllium held for the remaining 2 years of the six-year term. 

Besides Carey, different members successful Ohio’s legislature delegation vying to regenerate Vance see Reps. Jim Jordan, David Joyce and Warren Davidson. But choosing a subordinate of the House would temper the GOP’s already slim bulk successful the little chamber, and DeWine could measurement however House vacancies instrumentality months to capable nether Ohio’s predetermination protocols.  

The immense fig of GOP candidates who competed successful Ohio primaries successful 2022 and 2024 makes for an adjacent wider tract of imaginable replacements for Vance. 

Contenders see erstwhile Ohio Republican Chair Jane Timken; two-term Secretary of State Frank LaRose; and authorities Sen. Matt Dolan, whose household owns baseball's Cleveland Guardians. Two-term Ohio Treasurer Robert Sprague and Republican lawyer and strategist Mehek Cooke, a predominant impermanent connected Fox News, are besides reported to beryllium nether consideration.

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"The politician is idiosyncratic who I've admired since I was successful people school. He was a authorities senator. He was a congressman. He went to the Senate. He understands the quality of the assemblage politic," Carey said. "But helium besides understands that we request to person idiosyncratic that understands Ohio. I mean, there's cipher that loves Ohio much than, I'd accidental much than me, arsenic would beryllium Mike DeWine.… And I deliberation helium wants to get idiosyncratic successful bureau that loves the authorities conscionable arsenic overmuch arsenic helium does. And I deliberation I conscionable that measurement of the mark."