Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has appointed his lieutenant governor, Jon Husted, to the Senate seat recently vacated by Vice President-elect JD Vance.
“I’ve worked with him, I’ve seen him. I know his knowledge of Ohio. I know his heart. I know what he cares about. I know his abilities,” DeWine said at a news conference Friday from the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus. . “All of that tells me he’s the right person for this job.”
News of Husted’s selection began circulating Friday morning, after it became clear that DeWine would announce his selection at an afternoon press conference. Signal Ohio first reported that DeWine had decided on Husted, and two sources with knowledge of the decision confirmed it to NBC News.
“This decision was not made lightly,” Husted, former Ohio Secretary of State and speaker of the state House of Representatives, said while standing alongside his wife, Tina, and DeWine. “My family and I listened to the advice of many people, including the governor and many others.”
Husted, 57, would serve at least until a special election in 2026 to fill the remaining two years of Vance’s term. He had recently emerged as a leading contender, although there were questions about whether the position was in line with Husted’s personal and political ambitions. DeWine had said that naming someone who could win a competitive Republican primary next year was one of his top considerations.
Husted confirmed Friday that he accepted the appointment “with the full intention of running for this position.”
The announcement has broader ramifications on Ohio’s political landscape, eliminating Husted from a long-planned race to succeed DeWine as term-limited governor in 2026.
It also paves the way for biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, who has shown interest in mounting his own gubernatorial campaign. Ramaswamy dropped out of consideration for the Senate seat last fall after agreeing to lead President-elect Donald Trump’s new Department of Government Efficiency alongside billionaire Elon Musk.
Ramaswamy’s interests significantly influenced DeWine’s deliberations.
DeWine and Husted discussed the upcoming race for governor and Senate seat in a meeting with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort last month in Florida. At the time, Trump did not commit to endorsing Husted for either position, sources told NBC News.
Ramaswamy, who lives in the Columbus area, reemerged as a late contender for the Senate nomination in recent days and met last weekend with DeWine. While Husted was DeWine’s preferred successor, choosing Husted for the Senate vacancy reduces the risk of him losing a decisive primary to Ramaswamy, who would potentially bring the prestige of the Trump movement to the race.
And while DeWine’s decision eliminates a rival to Ramaswamy, other prominent Republicans, including Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost and state Treasurer Robert Sprague, have been preparing their own runs for governor.
An official announcement from Ramaswamy could come soon.
“Vivek’s basic plan is still [the] Same thing,” an Ohio agent familiar with Ramaswamy’s thinking wrote in a text message. “Get achievements in DOGE and then announce a gubernatorial run shortly.”
Trump is a political force in Ohio, where he has won three times by comfortable margins. He and DeWine were on opposite sides of last year’s Republican primary for the state’s other Senate seat, a race in which DeWine backed a state lawmaker hated by much of the Trump world instead of Trump-backed businessman Bernie Dark.
Moreno easily won the primary, unseating Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown, who has not ruled out running in next year’s special election for Vance’s old seat.
“We have worked to make Ohio great again and I look forward to working with President Trump and JD Vance to make America great again,” Husted said Friday.
DeWine and Husted have been allies since they ran together in 2018. Husted also had plans to seek the governorship that year, but agreed to join DeWine’s ticket as lieutenant governor.
“It was an honor and a privilege to serve in the United States Senate,” said DeWine, who lost his Senate seat to Brown in 2006. “I think I have a pretty good idea of what it takes to be successful in the United States Senate, what it takes to represent your state. While looking for the right person, I wanted someone who knew Ohio.”
Despite their close relationship, Husted has attempted to follow his own path in the party. He endorsed Trump’s 2024 presidential bid hours before last year’s Iowa caucuses and has been close to Ramaswamy, who informally advised him during the pandemic and served on the board of the Husted-led agency InnovateOhio.
DeWine said Friday that he interviewed “a large number of people” for the Senate position and heard from many others interested in the appointment. Although he did not mention names, others who were in line to succeed Vance included Sprague, former state Republican Party Chairwoman Jane Timken, U.S. Rep. Mike Carey and former state Rep. Jay Edwards.
