Lt. Gov. Jon Husted (R-OH) is expected to replace Vice President-elect J.D. Vance in the Senate, ending weeks of speculation as Washington, D.C., prepares to inaugurate President-elect Donald Trump for a second time.

Ohio Republican Gov. Mike DeWine announced on Friday that he selected Lt. Gov. Jon Husted to fill the Senate seat vacated by Vice President-elect J.D. Vance, tapping a like-minded fiscal and defense hawk to replace one of the Republican Party’s leading populist voices.

Husted will join freshman Republican Sen. Bernie Moreno in Washington to fill out the next two years of Vance’s term before running in a special election in 2026. The Senate flipped to a Republican majority in the 2024 election cycle and now stands at 53-47 with the appointment.

Current Ohio Lt. Gov. Jon Husted was chosen by Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine Friday afternoon to fill Vice President-elect J.D. Vance’s U.S. Senate seat. Husted, who has served as the 66th lieutenant governor of Ohio since 2019 and was Ohio’s 50th Secretary of State from 2011-2019,

Gov. Mike DeWine must appoint a new lieutenant governor. Meanwhile, who'd step in as acting governor in the event he's unable to fulfill his duties?

The state’s governor, Mike DeWine, announced the appointment Friday, ending suspense over who would succeed the vice president-elect in the Senate.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine on Friday announced his lieutenant governor, Jon Husted, will replace Vice President-elect JD Vance in the U.S. Senate.

The anticipated appointment will end weeks of speculation about who will join newly minted Sen. Bernie Moreno in Washington.