Former Ohio lieutenant governor Jon Husted officially joins the U.S. Senate, taking over a seat left vacant by Vice President JD Vance
It’s a big change for Husted, who was Ohio’s lieutenant governor. Just a few days ago, Governor Mike DeWine announced him as the pick to fill the vacancy. Husted had been in the running for a while but only got the official nod last Thursday.
At 57, Husted made the switch official on Tuesday afternoon. He resigned from his lieutenant governor role right before taking the oath.
Now, he’s part of a Republican-led Senate, which has a strong grip on Washington. With a Republican president and a Republican-controlled Congress, he’s stepping into a powerful position.
Husted, a University of Dayton grad, will hold this Senate seat until December 2026. After that, he’ll have to run in a special election to finish out Vance’s term, which goes until December 2028. Then, in 2028, he’ll have to run again for his own full term.
Interestingly, both of Ohio’s senators are new to the federal scene. Husted joins Bernie Moreno, a businessman from Cleveland who recently unseated long-time Democratic senator Sherrod Brown.
Now, Governor DeWine has to find someone to take over Husted’s old job as lieutenant governor. As of now, he hasn’t started interviewing anyone for that role, and whoever gets it will only serve until December 2026.
If you want more updates like this, consider signing up for the Ohio Politics newsletter. It’s free and packed with the latest news delivered right to your inbox every Thursday evening.
Feel free to reach out to Avery Kreemer at 614-981-1422, on X, or drop a comment or tip using the survey below.
