Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine on Friday tapped Lt. Gov. Jon Husted to replace Vice President-elect JD Vance in the Senate.
DeWine made the announcement in a press conference Friday afternoon. “I look forward to working with JD Vance and President Trump to Making America Great Again,” Husted said during the press conference.
DeWine spoke at length during the press conference about why he viewed Husted as the “best-suited” candidate to fill Vance’s seat. “I wanted someone that had a firm grasp and understanding of the complexity of Ohio,” DeWine said. “I also wanted someone that understands the interaction between the federal government and the state government.”
“I wanted a workhorse,” DeWine added. “[The] U.S. Senate rewards hard workers.” Husted has served as the state’s lieutenant governor under DeWine since 2019 and previously served as Ohio’s secretary of state and the speaker of the Ohio House.
Husted will join Republican Sen. Bernie Moreno in representing Ohio in the upper chamber. Moreno notably became Ohio’s senior senator after serving less than a week in the Senate following Vance’s resignation on Jan. 9.
Husted will have to run in a special election slated for November 2026 in order to serve out the remainder of Vance’s term. The Ohio Republican must also seek reelection in 2028 to seek another term in the Senate.
Other contenders floated to fill Vance’s Senate seat included Republican national committeewoman for Ohio, Jane Timken, Republican Ohio Rep. Mike Carey and DOGE co-chair Vivek Ramaswamy.
Husted’s appointment comes after Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis picked Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody to replace Marco Rubio, President-elect Donald Trump’s secretary of state nominee, in the Senate.
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