Jan. 17 (UPI) — Ohio Lt. Gov. Jon Husted on Friday was chosen by his boss, Gov. Mike DeWine, to fill out the remainder of Vice President-elect JD Vance’s term in the U.S. Senate.
DeWine made the announcement at a press conference in Columbus.
Ohio Lt. Gov. Jon Husted will fill out the remainder of JD Vance’s term in the U.S. Senate, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced Friday. File Photo by Tannen Maury/UPI | License Photo
“I have worked with him, I have seen him,” DeWine said. “I know his knowledge of Ohio. I know his heart. I know what he cares about. I know his skills. All of that tells me he is the right person for this job.”
The seat came open when the Republican ticket of Donald Trump and Vance won the 2024 presidential election.
Husted said he wrestled with whether to accept the appointment or to proceed with earlier plans for an Ohio gubernatorial run to replace the term-limited DeWine in 2026.
“In the end, it’s the opportunity to go right now to Washington — not two years from now, but now — to go work with President Trump and a Republican majority, to do the things that I think will make America a better country,” he told reporters. “And once you really look at it like that, it was an opportunity that I couldn’t pass up.”
Husted will now join fellow Republican Bernie Moreno as Ohio’s representative in the Senate. Moreno was sworn in this month after defeating former Sen. Sherrod Brown in November.
Husted will serve in the Senate through 2026 when Vance’s term was scheduled to wrap up.
His appointment also shuffles the deck in the race for the Ohio governorship in two years. Political analysts speculated it could smooth the runway for Trump confidante and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, who has been tapped to lead the Department of Government Efficiency with Elon Musk.
Trump recently urged Ramaswamy to accept the Senate appointment if it were offered, but it now appears the tech entrepreneur will remain focused on DOGE for now and announce a run for Ohio governor in 2026.