Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced Friday, January 17, his choice to replace soon-to-be Vice President JD Vance in the US Senate. Lt. Governor John Husted will fill the hole left by Vance’s resignation from the US Senate.
Vance, who will be sworn in on Monday as vice president, resigned from Congress effective January 10, ten days before his and President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration. Husted was elected to his current position in 2018 and re-elected in 2022, and had previously served as Speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives, Ohio Secretary of State, and as a state senator. Once sworn in, Husted will bring the Republican majority in the upper chamber to 53.
Before officially naming Husted as his choice, Governor DeWine spoke on what he looked for in choosing a senator: someone who knows Ohio intimately, understands the interactions between state and federal governments, and will be a "work horse" in the upper chamber to work for the people of Ohio. "I believe, and know, that Jon is prepared to be the United States senator from this state," DeWine concluded, adding that he'll be "right at home in the United States Senate."
One day prior, on Thursday, January 16, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced that state Attorney General Ashley Moody would take over for Sen. Marco Rubio. Moody, however, can’t be sworn in until after Rubio resigns – something he has yet to do. That resignation should come soon, however, as he’s expected to be confirmed as US secretary of State.
