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Lt. Gov. Jon Husted to replace VP-elect Vance in U.S. Senate
Ohio Lt. Gov Jon Husted, a former Dayton-area state representative, senator, speaker of the House and Ohio Secretary of State, was officially picked to fill a vacant seat in the U.S. Senate left by Vice President-elect JD Vance.
• Upcoming elections: Husted is guaranteed to have a spot in the Senate until at least December 2026. After that, he’ll face a special election in November 2026 to determine who will serve out the remainder of the original six-year Senate term ending December 2028, and another general election in November 2028 for a new term.
• What Husted said: “In the end this is easy, it’s a decision about service ... for me and my family and where we can have the most impact,” Husted said. “I’ll be proud to serve Ohio as a U.S. senator.”
• Supporting Trump: He noted President-elect Donald Trump won Ohio by 11 points, and said, “I will do all I can to help him and JD Vance be successful.” Husted also said he would support Trump’s nominees facing Senate confirmation.
• Positions on notable topics: Husted is staunchly anti-abortion and pro-school choice.
• State political implications: The pick partially sorts a logjam of high-profile Ohio Republicans who are eyeing a 2026 run to replace term-limited DeWine as Ohio governor. Husted, along with Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost and former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, all have ambitions of leading Ohio’s executive branch.
Possible Honda-Nissan merger could mean opportunities at Ohio plants
Late last month, Honda and Nissan announced a memorandum of understanding to start talks toward a possible merger. A third automaker, Mitsubishi, is also participating in talks.
• Plant locations: Nissan has two plants in Tennessee and one in Mississippi. Honda has Ohio plants in Marysville, East Liberty and Anna, about an hour’s drive north of Dayton, and a Honda/LG Energy Solution joint venture is building an electric vehicle (EV) battery plant in Fayette County. A Honda distribution center is in Troy.
• An opportunity: Honda has 10,000-plus Ohio employees. In general, Honda’s track record in Ohio since 1979 has been consistently positive. Until the COVID-19 pandemic, Honda never laid off any full-time employees in Ohio.
What to know today
• One big takeaway: A newly passed Ohio law would allow superintendents to expel students for significantly longer than a previous law, which superintendents say is important to maintain school safety.
• Tip of the day: It’s not too late to make volunteering a part of your New Year’s resolution.
• Person to know today: Chef Phillip Morgan. The owner of Morgan’s Catering has opened a restaurant in the Wright-Dunbar District after operating in a food trailer since 2021.
• Big move of the day: The city of Kettering plans to buy the former Vista Kawasaki dealership site.
• Dayton eats: Fresh Halal Market, which had been located in Miamisburg for 25 years, recently relocated to 721 Lyons Road in Washington Twp. for better access and a newer storefront.
• Cincinnati Bengals: Hamilton County and the Cincinnati Bengals accused each other of violating their lease agreement for Paycor Stadium, in a series of letters and emails. What this might mean for team’s future in Cincinnati.
• Dayton history: Charity Adams Earley laid the groundwork for today’s integrated military as the top-ranking Black woman officer and paved the way for Black women in service.
• National championship game: Ohio State players look ahead to Notre Dame matchup. Here’s how to follow our coverage from the big game.
• Cincinnati Reds: Two days before the start of the Major League season, the Cincinnati Reds will play their final spring training game at Day Air Ballpark.
• Photo of the day: Coach Don Donoher led the Dayton Flyers basketball team from 1964 to 1989, compiling a record of 437–275. Check out our collection of photos of him from our archives.
