Ohio’s next ‘conservative’ senator aims to ‘get government out of people’s lives’

FIRST ON FOX: Ohio’s new Senator-elect, Lt. Gov. Jon Husted, wants to get the country “fiscally responsible” and brings his years of experience in state government to the upper chamber.
“Look, as a fiscal person, I always want to move America on a fiscally responsible path, and I want to get government out of people’s lives,” he told Fox News Digital in the first exclusive interview after being appointed Gov. Mike DeWine, R-Ohio, to be the next senator.
Husted will replace Vice President-elect JD Vance in the vacated Senate seat and go into a special election in 2026 to decide who will serve out the remainder of his term.
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Husted was nominated to be Ohio’s next senator on Friday. (Getty Images)
The lieutenant governor said he plans to run both in 2026 and again when Vance’s seat is up for re-election in 2028.
As a “conservative,” one issue Husted should examine when he comes to the Senate is President-elect Trump’s desire to increase the debt.
“Look, I’ll get into all those issues when I’m sworn in,” he said.
“In state government, we have to balance our budget,” Husted explained.
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Sen. JD Vance (R-OH) enters the Senate chamber on Capitol Hill on April 23, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
“If you want to cut taxes, you have to cut spending. And that’s what I’m used to. And that’s the attitude I’m going to take in the process of being a member of the United States parliament.”
He acknowledged that America’s debt and spending problems cannot be solved with a “magic wand,” but added, “you have to start somewhere.”
Husted’s appointment comes as Trump’s transition team is currently moving forward with key Cabinet nominees. Many of them have been meeting with senators for months before their confirmation hearings and committee votes.
Asked about coming in the middle of the process, he told Fox News Digital, “I think it’s a good list of nominees.”
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Gov. Mike DeWine announced Husted as his Senate pick. (Reuters)
“Remember, you know, I’m taking Vance’s seat. I’m a partner of the Trump administration, and I will help support those nominees and confirm them as soon as possible,” emphasized the senator-elect.
The first confirmation votes for Trump’s nominees are expected to take place on Monday evening following the inauguration.
It is not clear who will challenge Husted in the 2026 special election, but the seat is expected to be one of the top Democrats after losing the seat to Sen. Sherrod Brown in November.
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Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, walks to the US Capitol in July. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
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Brown has been considered a candidate for Vance’s seat, and previously dismissed questions from Fox News Digital about whether he would launch a campaign.
After the news of Husted’s nomination on Friday, the spokesman for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) David Bergstein said in a statement, “The start of the 2026 cycle is quickly defined by the weak areas from the Senate Republicans’ map that is still challenging. The election adds another seat and another controversial candidate that the GOP should defend it — and it means Senate Republicans are starting a cycle where they have to play even more defensive.”