He was appointed as a senator in January 2025 to fill a vacant seat after JD Vance became vice president. Jon Allen Husted is back in the spotlight as he competes with Democrat Sherrod Brown in order to retain his Ohio Senate seat. Husted has recently focused on issues including jobs, immigration, energy costs, AI data centers and border security.
He is now running to retain his seat as a senator. He graduated from Montpelier High School and earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in communications from the University of Dayton. After completing his education, he served as vice president for economic development at the Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce in the Miami Valley. He also has a history of backing bipartisan measures on issues including human trafficking, housing and poverty. He partnered with Democratic Senator Elissa Slotkin on legislation aimed at training Labor Department inspectors to identify workplace human trafficking. His campaign now focuses on defending his Senate seat. Immigration and border security have been among Husted’s key issues. He also focused on the issue of undocumented immigrants obtaining commercial driver’s licenses, raising concerns about the safety of people.
Having spent more than two decades in Ohio state politics, Husted was first elected to the Ohio House of Representatives in 2000. He then represented the 6th district in the Ohio Senate from 2009 to 2011 and went on to serve as the Ohio secretary of state from 2011 to 2019. Husted became Ohio’s lieutenant governor in January 2019, along with Governor Mike DeWine. He also worked closely with Senator Michael Bennet to introduce the First-Time Homebuyer Empowerment Act which would allow certain unused 529 college savings to be transferred tax free for a first home down payment.
He argued that stronger border enforcement was necessary and criticized the Joe Biden administration’s approach to immigration, saying the US should not return to what he described as its “open borders” policies.
Husted has described tariffs as a tool to protect American workers and address what he considers unfair trade practices. He also accused China of unfair practices like intellectual property theft, technology piracy and government subsidies. He also supported using tariffs as a tool to protect American workers and encourage companies to move manufacturing back to the US. Husted has highlighted the potential impact of US-China trade tensions on American agriculture, while arguing that trade policies should prioritize American consumers, workers and businesses. He also faced questions regarding his financial relationships with private companies while serving as Ohio lieutenant governor.
In 2022, he joined the board of Heartland Bank while still holding public office.
Husted’s financial disclosures listed his position with the bank while the Ohio Ethics Commission said that only campaign contributions do not violate Ohio’s ethics law unless there is evidence of bribery, another criminal offense or fraud.
