Before becoming Ohio’s second-ranking executive, Husted — a University of Dayton graduate — spent years representing the Dayton area in the Ohio General Assembly as a state representative, state senator, and as the Ohio speaker of the House. He then served as Ohio’s secretary of state for eight years before joining DeWine’s successful gubernatorial ticket in 2018.
Husted’s emergence as the front-runner has been months in the making. DeWine, who has the unilateral power to pick an immediate replacement for Ohio’s U.S. Senate openings, likely began contemplating potential candidates soon after President-elect Donald Trump, who was just a presumptive party nominee at the time, picked Vance as his running mate in July.
With the Republican ticket’s election night victory, it became only a matter of time before DeWine was forced into an official pick. Vance, alongside Trump, will take his oath of office on Jan. 20 and is expected to resign from the U.S. Senate shortly beforehand.
For the most part, DeWine has played his cards close to his chest. He’s told reporters that he wants to appoint a Republican he thinks has the stomach and ability to win two quick-turn Republican primaries, as whoever takes over Vance’s seat will face a special election to serve out Vance’s term in 2026 and another general election in 2028 for another new term.
“Who I appoint has to be able to, in less than two years, win a primary and then win a general election, and then come back two years later and win a primary and a general election,” DeWine told reporters during a ceremonial breakfast on Dec. 12, the last time he spoke at length about his pending decision.
On that day, DeWine told reporters that he didn’t know who he’d pick. He disclosed that he had an initial shortlist and ended up meeting with many off-list, wannabe appointees. DeWine confirmed that he spoke with Trump and Vance about his decision-making process.
This week, DeWine’s communication team told this outlet that there is no update on DeWine’s decision-making process.
Last month, WEWS in Cleveland reported that DeWine and Husted met with Trump and Vance at the president-elect’s Florida estate Mar-A-Lago, confirmed by DeWine’s and Husted’s communication teams. The report also listed various political strategists close to the situation who felt Husted was closing in on a confirmed appointment — a conclusion that was echoed in a subsequent Columbus Dispatch report.
Whether Husted wants that appointment, in a vacuum, is a different question. Husted’s political aspirations have long been tied to the state of Ohio, with many believing that his intent was to become governor, not necessarily a federal lawmaker.
But, there’s a line forming for big-name politicians who hope to take over DeWine’s gig when his term ends after 2026. Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost has hinted with a heavy hand at a gubernatorial run. Vivek Ramaswamy, a Trump-favored businessman and former Republican presidential candidate from southwest Ohio, is also expected to throw his hat in the ring, which would come off the back of a yet-to-happen stint of cutting down on government bloat in Trump’s new Department of Government Efficiency.
DeWine has already endorsed Husted for governor and reiterated to reporters during December’s breakfast that “He’d be a great governor.”
Regardless of who ends up getting DeWine’s nod in the Senate appointment, DeWine said he hopes Vance’s replacement will be able to get the most for Ohioans for years to come, whether a Republican administration controls the White House or a Democratic one.
“One of the criteria, obviously, that I will have is someone who is going to advocate for Ohio. It’s just very, very important,” DeWine said.
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Avery Kreemer can be reached at 614-981-1422, on X, via email, or you can drop him a comment/tip with the survey below.
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