COLUMBUS, Ohio — Republican Ohio Lt. Gov. Jon Husted will succeed Vice President-elect JD Vance in the U.S. Senate, the state's governor announced Friday.

Ohio Lt. Gov. Jon Husted will replace J.D. Vance in Congress’ upper chamber, as the former senator readies for his inauguration as vice president. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced Husted’s appointment during a Friday news conference,

Husted will join freshman Republican Sen. Bernie Moreno in Washington to fill out the next two years of Vance’s term before running in a special election in 2026. The Senate flipped to a Republican majority in the 2024 election cycle and now stands at 53-47 with the appointment.

Current Ohio Lt. Gov. Jon Husted was chosen by Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine Friday afternoon to fill Vice President-elect J.D. Vance’s U.S. Senate seat. Husted, who has served as the 66th lieutenant governor of Ohio since 2019 and was Ohio’s 50th Secretary of State from 2011-2019,

Gov. Mike DeWine announced that Lieutenant Gov. Jon Husted as his selection to fill the Senate seat vacated by JD Vance, who will be inaugurated as vice president on Monday.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine is expected to appoint 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.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine is expected to name Lt. Gov. Jon Husted to fill the Senate seat that Vice President-elect JD Vance is vacating, multiple sources tell CBS News.