DeWine appoints Lt. Govt. Jon Husted to fill JD Vance’s Senate seat

Gov. Mike DeWine of Ohio on Friday named Lt. Gov. Jon Husted to fill the Senate seat vacated by Vice President-elect JD Vance, elevating a veteran Republican politician and ally who came up in politics in the pre-Trump era.

“This is a serious, serious time in our history,” said Mr. DeWine, flanked by a beaming Mr. Husted at a press conference. “Serious times call for serious people.”

By naming Mr. Home went Mr. DeWine passed Vivek Ramaswamy, the former presidential candidate and pharmaceutical entrepreneur who has led an anti-government initiative with Elon Musk and who had emerged as another possible choice in recent days.

Ramaswamy, who was appointed by President-elect Donald J. Trump to lead the so-called Department of Government Efficiency together with Mr. Musk, said in November that he was not interested in being considered for the Senate appointment. But Mr. DeWine met with Mr. Ramaswamy last weekend, the governor confirmed.

The choice of Mr. Vance’s successor has important implications across Republican politics, including for the Trump White House, the US Senate and the Ohio governorship. Mr. Vance resigned his seat on January 10, creating a vacancy that Mr. DeWine could occupy.

Mr. Trump had gotten involved in the election, meeting with Mr. DeWine and Mr. Housed late last year at Mar-a-Lagohis Florida home and vacation spot, according to Ohio news reports. In recent weeks, Mr. Trump suggested Mr. Ramaswamy that he could be a good fit for the Senate seat if offered to him, according to two people with knowledge of the conversation, which was first reported by The Washington Post.

Mr. Ramaswamy ran for president in the 2024 primary, but hardly ever criticized Mr. Trump; he was quick to support him and emerged as a prominent surrogate. Mr. Ramaswamy is widely expected to run for governor of Ohio in 2026, a post that Mr. Husted had expected to apply.

In fact, after the election, Mr. DeWine, who cannot seek a third term under Ohio law, said he saw Mr. Husted followed in his footsteps. “I’ve always said that Jon Husted, based on my six years of working with him, he’s going to be a great governor,” Mr. DeWine said then.

Now Mr. Husted to serve in the Senate through 2026, when a special election will be held to fill the last two years of Mr. Vance’s tenure. It was not immediately clear whether Mr. Husted would seek a full Senate term or consider running for governor.

Mr. Husted, 57, has spent years in government, holding positions in Ohio including secretary of state, state senator and speaker of the House of Representatives. He has often praised Mr. Trump, although the DeWine administration has at times clashed with the president-elect.

Former Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat, was defeated in his re-election bid last year but outperformed Vice President Kamala Harris’ showing in the state. He could look at both offices next cycle. Former Representative Tim Ryan, a Democrat who Mr. Vance defeated in the 2022 Senate race could, too consider a run next year.

Asked about his thoughts on the Senate seat or the governor’s office during an interview last week, Mr. Brown said he hadn’t made any decisions about his next steps, but that he “wasn’t ruling anything out.”

“I’m not just walking away,” he said, “but I don’t know what’s next.”

Jonathan Swan contributed reporting.