Ohio Lt. Gov. Jon Husted will succeed JD Vance in the US Senate [Video]

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Republican Ohio Lt. Gov. Jon Husted will succeed Vice President-elect JD Vance in the U.S. Senate, the state’s governor announced Friday.

Gov. Mike DeWine’s decision ends months of jockeying among top Ohio Republicans for the coveted seat, which Vance had held for less than two years before resigning Jan. 10. Choosing Husted removes at least one top contender from the 2026 governor’s race, but DeWine said he still expects the field to be crowded.

He said a large consideration was that his long-serving righthand man has extensive government experience that Ohio’s last two U.S. senators — Vance and Cleveland businessman Bernie Moreno, both political novices when elected — lacked.

The 57-year-old Husted is a former Ohio House speaker, state senator and two-term Ohio secretary of state. He has been lieutenant governorsince 2019. Husted will serve until Dec. 15, 2026. A special election for the last two years of Vance’s six-year term will be held …