COLUMBUS, Ohio — Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine is expected to select his lieutenant governor, Jon Husted, on Friday to succeed Vice President-elect JD Vance in the U.S. Senate.
That’s according to two people familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity before an announcement planned for Friday afternoon.
The surprise pick of Husted, who had been positioning to run for governor in 2026, potentially averts a divisive and expensive GOP primary to fill Vance’s seat next year.
DeWine’s decision ends months of jockeying among top Ohio Republicans for Vance’s position, which he had held for less than two years. The former senator resigned Friday.
The 57-year-old Husted, a former Ohio House speaker and two-term secretary of state, will serve until Dec. 15, 2026. A special election for the last two years of Vance’s six-year term will be held in November 2026.
