Washington — Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine is expected to name Lt. Gov. Jon Husted to fill the Senate seat that Vice President-elect JD Vance is vacating, multiple sources tell CBS News.
DeWine is expected to announce his selection at a 1 p.m. press conference Friday.
The announcement will end months of speculation and jockeying for the seat Vance held for just two years. DeWine, who is a former U.S. senator, has been tight-lipped about who might replace Vance in the Senate.
DeWine and other Republican governors met with President-elect Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate earlier this month.
The senior U.S. senator from Ohio is now Sen. Bernie Moreno, who became a senator only earlier this month.
Husted, 57, has been Ohio’s lieutenant governor since 2019. He also served as Ohio’s secretary of state and had been considering running for governor to replace a term-limited DeWine in 2026.
Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu via Getty Images
Wealthy Trump ally and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy was also floated as a possibility for the job. Trump tapped him to co-lead the “Department of Government Efficiency,” a new advisory body meant to tackle federal spending and waste. Ramaswamy has been largely quiet after he took to social media in December to criticize U.S. culture as venerating “mediocrity” and seemed to suggest Americans are lazy, prompting backlash.
“More movies like ‘Whiplash,’ fewer reruns of ‘Friends,’” Ramaswamy, 39, complained on X in December. “More math tutoring, fewer sleepovers. More weekend science competitions, fewer Saturday morning cartoons. More books, less TV. More creating, less ‘chillin.’ More extracurriculars, less ‘hanging out at the mall.’”
That didn’t go over well, with many other Trump allies and supporters criticizing Ramaswamy for his comments.
In Ohio, governors name senators to fill vacancies in the U.S. Senate until the next regular election. In this case, the special election will be November 2026, and the winner will remain in office until Vance’s term was to expire. He would have been up for reelection in 2028.
For seats in the House, the governor calls a special election. Ohio hasn’t had to fill a U.S. Senate vacancy since 1974.
Jon Husted, Ohio’s lieutenant governor, is expected to fill the Senate seat left vacant by the retirement of Senator Rob Portman. Husted, a Republican, has been a prominent figure in Ohio politics for years, previously serving as the Secretary of State and a State Representative.
With his experience and leadership skills, Husted is seen as a strong candidate to represent Ohio in the Senate. He has a proven track record of working across party lines to get things done for the people of Ohio, and is known for his focus on economic development and job creation.
Many Ohioans are confident that Husted will continue to be a strong advocate for their interests in Washington, and are looking forward to seeing him in this new role. Stay tuned for updates on his confirmation and plans for his tenure in the Senate.
Tags:
Jon Husted, Ohio lieutenant governor, Vance Senate seat, Ohio politics, Ohio government, Republican party, US Senate, Ohio senators, political news
#Jon #Husted #Ohios #lieutenant #governor #expected #fill #Vances #Senate #seat
