Vice President-elect JD Vance recently resigned from his seat in the U.S. Senate ahead of his swearing-in for his new role on Monday, which opened up a vacancy for Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine to fill with an appointment.

On Friday, Gov. DeWine announced that he'd selected Lt. Gov. Jon Husted to fill that vacancy for at least the next two years, the New York Post reported.

Husted will serve until a special election in 2026 when Ohio voters will get to decide who fills out the remaining two years of Vance's six-year term that began in 2022, after which a normal election for a six-year term will be held in 2028.

DeWine picked Husted to replace Vance

In a Friday afternoon X post, Gov. DeWine wrote, "I'm proud to announce that I have selected @LtGovHusted to serve in the U.S. Senate, replacing Vice President-elect @JDVance."

During a press conference, the governor told reporters, "I came to the conclusion, as you see, that the person who is best suited to be the United States senator is a person who has been close to me for the last six years -- a person who, almost daily, I work with. And that is Lieutenant Governor John Husted."

The Post reported that Husted was first elected as lieutenant governor in 2018 alongside DeWine. Before that, he'd served as Ohio's secretary of state since 2011, and prior to that had served for 10 years in the state legislature, including eight years in the state House, four of which he served as the speaker, followed by two years in the state Senate.

"Serious times demand serious people," he continued and noted that it "took a while" to make his decision because he'd "interviewed a large number of people" for the important job.

DeWine added, "I will miss this very good man. The state of Ohio will miss this excellent lieutenant governor, but we are gaining a strong advocate for us in Washington, D.C."

Husted responds to appointment

In response to the appointment, Lt. Gov. Husted said in an X post, "It is my honor to accept the appointment to serve in the U.S. Senate. We have worked to Make Ohio Great Again & I look forward to working with @RealDonaldTrump & @JDVance to Make America Great Again!"

The post included a photo that listed the top priorities of the "America First" agenda that he was most focused on, including finishing the border wall to stop illegal immigration and drug trafficking, restoring manufacturing capabilities and jobs for Ohio and America, crushing government bureaucracy, and championing the right to life for unborn babies as well as opportunities for foster children to be adopted by loving families.

During the press conference, after accepting Gov. DeWine's appointment, Husted told reporters, "For decades, Ohioans endured the harsh effects of globalization, automation, and complacency, leading to high unemployment and a reputation as being one of the worst states to do business," and further noted, "But today, Ohio stands as one of the best states to do business with more jobs than at any point in our history."

"I really look forward to working with President Trump and Vice President Vance and the Republican majority," he added later, "who have an America First agenda, to fight inflation, stop illegal immigration, advance conservative values, and that’s what I’ll do, because that’s what the people of Ohio need."

Vance congratulates Husted

The appointment of Lt. Gov. Husted by Gov. DeWine to serve the next two years of former Sen. Vance's term was cheered by the VP-elect himself, who reposted the governor's announcement to his personal X account.

"Earlier today, I called Jon Husted to congratulate him on his appointment to the United States Senate. Look forward to working with both Jon and Bernie Moreno to Make America Great Again!" Vance wrote along with a U.S. flag emoji.