DeWine Picks Jon Husted For Senate, Ramaswamy Reportedly To Run For Governor

Ohio Republican Gov. Mike DeWine selected Lt. Gov. Jon Husted on Friday to fill the Senate seat left open by Vice President-elect JD Vance, while Vivek Ramaswamy is reportedly planning on announcing a run for governor.

DeWine announced his Senate appointment at a press conference on Friday, ensuring that Republicans maintain a 53-47 majority when President-elect Donald Trump is sworn in on Monday. Husted, a longtime major player in Ohio politics, recently focused on election security as lieutenant governor. The appointment will put Husted in the Senate seat for nearly three years, and he will have the option to run in the 2026 special election to determine who will complete Vance’s term, which ends after 2028.

“I believe and know that Jon is prepared to be United States senator from the state of Ohio,” DeWine said, according to The Columbus Dispatch. “The U.S. Senate rewards hard workers. It rewards those who master the facts. It rewards those who focus on getting things done.”

DeWine met with Trump at Mar-a-Lago last week, and Trump was reportedly urging Ramaswamy to accept the Senate seat if it was offered to him. DeWine told reporters at Mar-a-Lago, “I want someone who understands Ohio, who has a deep knowledge of our state. We need a strong advocate there.”

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The Washington Post reported, citing two unnamed sources, that Ramaswamy, whom Trump tapped to help Elon Musk run the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), is planning to run for Ohio governor in 2026. According to one Ohio political operative, Ramaswamy will plan “to get accomplishments at DOGE and then announce a run for governor shortly.” Ramaswamy and Musk have said that DOGE will seek to accomplish its goals and dissolve by July 4, 2026.

Ohio’s 2026 governor’s race will be wide open, as DeWine is term-limited. Ramaswamy, an entrepreneur from Cincinnati, would enter the race with experience running a large campaign after his 2024 presidential bid. However, he has never held public office. Last January, he dropped out of the 2024 primary and endorsed Trump.