Ohio Lt. Gov. Jon Husted to fill Vance’s Senate seat, Ramaswamy to announce governor bid – The Cauldron
Ohio Lt. Gov. Jon Husted will succeed newly inaugurated Vice President JD Vance in the U.S. Senate, announced by Gov. Mike DeWine on Friday, Jan. 17.
DeWine’s decision ends months of jockeying within the Ohio GOP, as well as rising anticipation among voters over who would fill the coveted seat. Vance held the seat for less than two years after his election in the 2022 midterms, then resigned Jan. 10 ahead of his and President Donald Trump’s inauguration.
“I know his knowledge of Ohio. I know his heart. I know what he cares about. I know his skills. And all of that tells me that he is the right person for this job,” DeWine said about Husted in Columbus on Friday. “In every major decision that I have made in the last six years as governor of the state of Ohio, Jon Husted has played a part…even in the cases where he saw things differently, my decision was informed and was helped by his input.”
Prior to serving as lieutenant governor, Husted served as Ohio’s house speaker and secretary of state. DeWine highlighted Husted’s extensive experience in state government as his star qualification to represent Ohio in Washington, D.C.
“My time here at the Statehouse has been a true joy, but representing Ohio in the U.S. Senate is an amazing opportunity,” Husted said. “It is something that an adopted kid who grew up on County Road in Montpelier, Ohio, could have never imagined. I know Ohio well, and I will fight for Ohio as a U.S. senator.”
Other factors that influenced DeWine’s decision to tap Husted include protecting the narrow Republican majority in the U.S. House — disqualifying potential picks from that pool — and the need to choose someone who could defeat a Democratic challenger in 2026, when Vance’s Senate term is set to conclude.
Husted’s agenda
DeWine reportedly called Trump on Friday morning, who responded positively to the news about Husted’s appointment to the Senate.
Husted said he’s prepared to work with the president to implement his agenda.
“I really look forward to working with President Trump and Vice President Vance and the Republican majority who have an ‘America first’ agenda to fight inflation, stop illegal immigration and advance conservative values.”
A staunch fiscal conservative, Husted told Fox News on Friday evening, “if you want to cut taxes, you got to cut spending,” an attitude that’ll mesh well with Trump’s plans to slash federal spending and debt.
Husted also shared that he plans to vote in support for each of Trump’s cabinet nominees, whose Senate hearings began last week.
Looking ahead
On Monday, it was reported that businessman Vivek Ramaswamy will leave his Trump-appointed role leading The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and announce a bid for Ohio governor next week.
This is not a shock given that Ramaswamy’s name had been dropped in several conversations regarding the 2026 Ohio gubernatorial election.
As senator-designate, Husted said that he and Vance will work in the coming weeks to ensure a smooth transition of duties, specifying no specific date for his swearing-in.
Husted joins Republican Sen. Bernie Moreno, who defeated incumbent Democrat Sherrod Brown in November, to represent Ohio. This is the first time in nearly 20 years that Ohio has two Republican senators.
As for Ohio’s next lieutenant governor, DeWine hasn’t dropped any names yet.
“One big decision at a time,” he said.