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 Republican Gov. Mike DeWine announced on Friday that he selected Lt. Gov. Jon Husted to fill the Senate seat vacated by Vice President-elect J.D. Vance, tapping a like-minded fiscal and defense hawk to replace one of the Republican Party’s leading populist voices.

Lt. Gov. Jon Husted (R-OH) is expected to replace Vice President-elect J.D. Vance in the Senate, ending weeks of speculation as Washington, D.C., prepares to inaugurate President-elect Donald Trump for a second time.