Julia Garrison
News Editor
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced on Friday, Jan. 17 that current lieutenant governor Jon Husted would fill Ohio’s newly vacant Senate seat following JD Vance’s resignation leading up to his inauguration as the next Vice President.
Jon Husted has served in multiple positions within Ohio’s government since 2001, including as Ohio’s secretary of state from 2011 to 2019. He also represented the sixth senatorial district in Ohio’s Senate from 2009 to 2011 –– representing Dayton, Ohio and a large portion of Montgomery County. He also served as a member, and later the speaker, of the Ohio House of Representatives.
Although DeWine holds the authority under Ohio law to select a replacement for Vance’s seat following his departure from the U.S. Senate, his selection will have to run in 2026 to keep the seat. Husted will join newly-elected Sen. Bernie Moreno who defeated the long-standing incumbent Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown in November’s general election.
Husted was in the running for the position alongside Vivek Ramaswamy of Cincinnati, who gained notability for his primary run for the Republican Party’s presidential nomination in 2024. He suspended his campaign following the Iowa caucuses in January 2024 and announced his support for President Donald Trump’s candidacy.
