If you’re trying to keep up with Ohio politics right now, I honestly don't blame you for being a little confused. Things have moved fast. Just a couple of years ago, the names on the office doors in D.C. looked totally different, and honestly, the shift has been one of the biggest political stories in the country.
So, who are the 2 senators of Ohio today? As of January 2026, Ohio is represented by Bernie Moreno and Jon Husted. Both are Republicans.
This is a massive change. For nearly two decades, Ohio had a "split" representation—one Democrat and one Republican. That era is officially over. Today, the Buckeye State’s presence in the U.S. Senate is 100% GOP, but how we got here involves a high-stakes game of musical chairs involving a Vice Presidency, a massive election upset, and an appointment that changed the 2026 governor’s race before it even started.
Bernie Moreno: From Car Dealerships to the Senate
Bernie Moreno is currently Ohio’s senior senator.
He took office in January 2025 after one of the most expensive and brutal Senate races in American history. You might remember the ads. They were everywhere. Moreno, a successful businessman from Cleveland known for his luxury car dealerships, managed to unseat Sherrod Brown in the November 2024 election.
Unseating Brown was no small feat. Sherrod Brown was the last Democrat holding a statewide office in Ohio for years. He was considered the "untouchable" populist who could win over blue-collar workers. But in 2024, the "red wave" in Ohio was just too strong. Moreno leaned heavily into his background as an immigrant—he moved to the U.S. from Colombia as a child—and his alignment with Donald Trump’s "America First" agenda.
👉 See also: Effingham County Jail Bookings 72 Hours: What Really Happened
Basically, Moreno pitched himself as a political outsider who wanted to treat the government more like a business. He won by roughly 3.5 percentage points. It wasn't a landslide, but in a state that has been trending right for a decade, it was the final nail in the coffin for the old-school Ohio Democratic machine.
Jon Husted: The Man Who Stepped Into JD Vance’s Shoes
The second name is the one that usually trips people up: Jon Husted.
He didn't get to the Senate through an election—at least not yet. You’ve probably heard of JD Vance, the guy who wrote Hillbilly Elegy. Well, after Vance was elected Vice President alongside Donald Trump in 2024, he had to resign his Senate seat. That happened on January 10, 2025.
Governor Mike DeWine had a big decision to make. He needed to appoint someone to fill that seat until a special election could be held. On January 17, 2025, DeWine picked his long-time partner in the statehouse, then-Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted.
Husted is a veteran of Ohio politics. He’s been the Speaker of the Ohio House, the Secretary of State, and the Lieutenant Governor. He’s basically the definition of an "inside player" in Columbus. By moving to D.C., Husted flipped the script on the 2026 governor’s race, where he was widely expected to be the front-runner to succeed DeWine.
✨ Don't miss: Joseph Stalin Political Party: What Most People Get Wrong
Why there’s a Special Election in 2026
Here is where it gets interesting for you as a voter or just an observer. Jon Husted is an appointed senator. Under Ohio law, he doesn't just get to keep the seat forever.
There is a special election scheduled for November 3, 2026.
This election is only to fill the remainder of JD Vance’s original term, which ends in January 2029. That means whoever wins this year will have to run again in 2028 for a full six-year term. It's a non-stop cycle of campaigning.
The 2026 Rematch: Husted vs. Brown?
Believe it or not, the guy Moreno just defeated is trying to get back in.
Sherrod Brown announced in late 2025 that he’s running in the special election to take back the seat currently held by Husted. It’s sort of wild. Usually, when a long-time senator loses, they head into the private sector or start a think tank. Brown did start the "Dignity of Work Institute," but he clearly wasn't ready to stay on the sidelines.
🔗 Read more: Typhoon Tip and the Largest Hurricane on Record: Why Size Actually Matters
Husted has been positioning himself as a "workhorse" for Ohio, focusing on workforce development and tech—specifically the massive Intel project near Columbus. Meanwhile, Brown is banking on the idea that voters might have "buyer's remorse" after a year of total GOP control in D.C.
It’s going to be another $100 million+ race. You can count on that.
What This Means for Ohio’s Influence
Having two Republican senators who are closely aligned with the White House gives Ohio a very different kind of leverage than it had before.
- Bernie Moreno sits on influential committees and focuses heavily on trade, immigration, and cutting federal spending.
- Jon Husted brings a deep knowledge of state-level economics, focusing on making Ohio the "Silicon Valley of the Midwest."
Critics, of course, argue that having two senators from the same party means half the state doesn't feel represented. Democrats in cities like Cleveland, Columbus, and Cincinnati often feel like their voices are drowned out in a Senate delegation that now leans heavily toward the rural and suburban conservative base.
Regardless of where you stand, the reality of who are the 2 senators of Ohio is a reflection of a state that has fundamentally changed its political identity over the last decade.
Actionable Steps for Ohio Residents
If you want to stay engaged with what your senators are actually doing in Washington, don't just wait for the campaign ads to hit your TV.
- Check their voting records: Use sites like GovTrack.us to see how Moreno and Husted are voting on bills that affect your wallet, like tax changes or healthcare subsidies.
- Contact their offices: Both senators have offices in Columbus and D.C. If you have an issue with a federal agency (like the VA or Social Security), their constituent services teams are actually there to help.
- Register for the 2026 Primary: The primary for the special Senate election is May 5, 2026. If you want a say in who the final candidates are, you need to be registered at your current address at least 30 days before.
- Follow the money: Watch the Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings. In Ohio, who is funding the campaign often tells you more about a candidate's priorities than their speeches do.
Ohio’s representation in the Senate hasn't been this lopsided in nearly twenty years. Whether that’s a "new dawn" or a "wrong turn" depends entirely on who you ask, but for now, Moreno and Husted are the ones holding the pens.