Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine expected to nominate Lt. Gov. Jon Husted to Vance’s Senate seat

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine is expected to nominate his lieutenant governor, Jon Husted, to the Senate seat recently vacated by Vice President-elect JD Vance, two sources with knowledge of the decision told NBC News.

The sources, who were granted anonymity to share details of the private discussions, said the announcement is expected to come at 1 p.m. Friday at a news conference called by DeWine at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus.

A spokesperson for DeWine declined to comment on the news conference agenda. A spokesperson for Husted did not respond to a request for comment.

Husted, who would serve at least until a 2026 special election to fill the remaining two years of Vance’s term, had recently emerged as a leading contender. DeWine had said nominating someone who could win a competitive Republican primary next year was one of his main considerations.

The decision follows Vance’s resignation and follows a meeting DeWine and Husted had last month with President-elect Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.

Husted’s interest in succeeding DeWine as governor in 2026 and the possibility of Husted being endorsed by Trump were a topic of conversation, two sources briefed on the meeting told NBC News. But Trump has made no commitments to Husted on this race or the Senate vacancy, these sources said.

Husted’s impending nomination follows a late push from biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, a close Trump ally who lives in the Columbus area.

Last fall, Ramaswamy withdrew from the race for the post after agreeing to lead the Department of Government Effectiveness in the new Trump administration. But he had recently signaled a change of heart and met with DeWine about the nomination.

Other candidates to succeed Vance included former state GOP Chair Jane Timken, state Treasurer Robert Sprague, Rep. Mike Carey and former state Rep. Jay Edwards .

Signal Ohio first reported that DeWine opted for Husted.

Trump is a political force in Ohio, where he has won three times by comfortable margins. He and DeWine were on opposing sides in last year’s Republican primary for the state’s other Senate seat — a race in which DeWine supported a state lawmaker hated by much of the Trump world against Trump-backed businessman Bernie Moreno.

Moreno easily won the primary and went on to unseat Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown, who has not ruled out running in next year’s special election for Vance’s old seat.

DeWine and Husted have been allies since they ran together in 2018. Husted also intended to run for governor that year, but he agreed to join DeWine’s ticket as lieutenant governor.

Despite their close relationship, Husted, 57, has tried to chart his own path within the party. He endorsed Trump’s 2024 presidential bid hours before last year’s Iowa caucuses and has been close to Ramaswamy.

Ramaswamy’s potential interest in the 2026 gubernatorial race, combined with Trump’s reluctance to quickly endorse Husted, likely factored into Husted’s decision whether to accept DeWine’s Senate nomination. Other prominent Republicans, including Sprague and Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, are also preparing gubernatorial campaigns, threatening to further crowd the field.