https://howitunfolded.com/incidents/ohio-senate-special-election-2026/Ongoing. When JD Vance left the Senate to become vice president in January 2025, Governor Mike DeWine appointed Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted to the seat. Former senator Sherrod Brown, who lost Ohio's other seat in 2024, entered the race in August 2025. Husted was unopposed for the Republican nomination and Brown won the Democratic primary on 5 May 2026, setting up a 3 November vote for the rest of the term to January 2029.enhttps://howitunfolded.com/incidents/ohio-senate-special-election-2026/#e13ohio-senate-special-election-2026-44500b11b7Wed, 28 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000Trump held a rally at Ohio University's Chillicothe campus with Husted and Vivek Ramaswamy, his third Ohio visit of the month, WCPO and Spectrum News reported. Husted criticised Brown's record from the stage.https://howitunfolded.com/incidents/ohio-senate-special-election-2026/#e12ohio-senate-special-election-2026-31f5ccfd4aThu, 22 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000More than $400 million had been spent or reserved for advertising in the race, The National News Desk and Fox19 reported. The total included future advertising reservations, not just advertisements already aired.https://howitunfolded.com/incidents/ohio-senate-special-election-2026/#e11ohio-senate-special-election-2026-6ef40fd7caMon, 12 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000Trump held a rally at the Covelli Centre in Youngstown to support Husted, the Associated Press reported. WCPO later listed Youngstown among his October campaign visits to Ohio.https://howitunfolded.com/incidents/ohio-senate-special-election-2026/#e10ohio-senate-special-election-2026-a23ef34365Sat, 03 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000Trump held a rally in Vandalia near Dayton at which Husted spoke, WCPO reported. The AP later reported the Dayton-area visit when covering his return to Ohio for a Youngstown rally.https://howitunfolded.com/incidents/ohio-senate-special-election-2026/#e9ohio-senate-special-election-2026-2c553aecb4Wed, 26 Aug 2026 12:00:00 +0000The candidate list certified by the Wood County Board of Elections on 26 August for the unexpired Senate term ending 3 January 2029 names Sherrod Brown (Democratic), Jon Husted (Republican), William B. Redpath (Libertarian) and Greg Levy (other-party candidate), with three write-in candidates.https://howitunfolded.com/incidents/ohio-senate-special-election-2026/#e8ohio-senate-special-election-2026-d6c60190bbTue, 05 May 2026 12:00:00 +0000Husted was unopposed in the Republican primary. The Associated Press called the Democratic primary for Brown, who defeated Ron Kincaid.https://howitunfolded.com/incidents/ohio-senate-special-election-2026/#e6ohio-senate-special-election-2026-564fc24ee4Mon, 18 Aug 2025 12:00:00 +0000Brown announced that he would run in the 2026 special election for the seat Husted holds, rather than for Moreno's seat, the Associated Press reported. He had also been weighing a run for governor. The winner serves the rest of Vance's term, which runs through 2028.https://howitunfolded.com/incidents/ohio-senate-special-election-2026/#e7ohio-senate-special-election-2026-ea773eae72Mon, 18 Aug 2025 12:00:00 +0000Husted's campaign said in a statement that for 30 years Brown had imposed Washington's problems on Ohio, the AP reported. A Husted campaign spokesman said Brown would be starting in the biggest hole of his political career.https://howitunfolded.com/incidents/ohio-senate-special-election-2026/#e5ohio-senate-special-election-2026-5cbeaabbc5Wed, 09 Apr 2025 12:00:00 +0000Husted's campaign announced President Donald Trump's endorsement for the 2026 election. Husted said he was honoured by the endorsement. AP later also described Husted as endorsed by Trump.https://howitunfolded.com/incidents/ohio-senate-special-election-2026/#e4ohio-senate-special-election-2026-ef976e1349Tue, 21 Jan 2025 12:00:00 +0000The Senate Daily Press Gallery records that Jon Husted and Ashley Moody took their oaths as senators on 21 January 2025.https://howitunfolded.com/incidents/ohio-senate-special-election-2026/#e3ohio-senate-special-election-2026-f01d7aae7eSat, 18 Jan 2025 12:00:00 +0000The certificate of appointment printed in the Congressional Record is dated 18 January 2025 and signed by Governor Mike DeWine and Secretary of State Frank LaRose. It appoints Husted until the vacancy is filled by election, rather than giving him a full elected term.https://howitunfolded.com/incidents/ohio-senate-special-election-2026/#e2ohio-senate-special-election-2026-caa5d4f1d6Fri, 17 Jan 2025 12:00:00 +0000Governor Mike DeWine named Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted to fill the seat, the Associated Press reported. Others considered included Secretary of State Frank LaRose, Treasurer Robert Sprague, state Senator Matt Dolan and former state party chair Jane Timken. Vivek Ramaswamy had also visited DeWine to express interest.https://howitunfolded.com/incidents/ohio-senate-special-election-2026/#e1ohio-senate-special-election-2026-f279997c93Fri, 10 Jan 2025 12:00:00 +0000JD Vance resigned his Ohio Senate seat on 10 January 2025, ahead of becoming vice president, the Associated Press reported. The AP corrected an earlier version of its story that had given the date as 17 January.https://howitunfolded.com/incidents/ohio-senate-special-election-2026/#e0ohio-senate-special-election-2026-25b43c799aMon, 01 Jul 2024 12:00:00 +0000Sherrod Brown, who had represented Ohio in the Senate since 2007, lost his 2024 reelection bid to Bernie Moreno. Campaigns, parties and outside groups spent more than $400 million on ads in that race, according to AdImpact as cited by the Associated Press. Brown said afterwards that he had not planned to run for his seat again, the AP reported.