Posted on Wednesday, January 22, 2025

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by Shane Harris

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The Senate Republican Caucus officially reached its full 53-seat majority on Tuesday when Vice President JD Vance swore in Jon Husted of Ohio and Ashley Moody of Florida. With monumental legislative battles already on the horizon, the Senate’s newest members could quickly find themselves playing critical roles in passing President Donald Trump’s second-term agenda.

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine tapped Husted, his Lt. Governor, to fill Vance’s vacated seat, while the Sunshine State’s Ron DeSantis appointed Moody to take over for new Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who became the first member of Trump’s cabinet to be confirmed just hours after Trump’s inauguration. While neither individual has a particularly high national public profile, both could nonetheless make names for themselves in what looks to be a new era for the Senate – one where new-age America First conservatives hold the center of gravity, having displaced the old guard Republican establishment.

Of the two new Republican senators, Husted is the better-known political entity, having served in elected office since 2001. He is an Ohioan through and through, raised by his adoptive parents in the small town of Montpelier, a short drive from Toledo. He played football at the University of Dayton, where he also earned his master’s degree before becoming involved in local politics.

Husted’s first election victory was to the Ohio House of Representatives in a five-way race in 2000. In 2005 he became Speaker of the Ohio House, and three years later he was elected to the Ohio Senate before a successful run for Ohio Secretary of State in 2010.

In 2018, after initially running against DeWine in the Republican gubernatorial primary, Husted dropped out to run on a combined ticket as DeWine’s lieutenant governor. The pair defeated their Democrat opponents 50 percent to 47 percent and then cruised to a landslide 62 percent to 37 percent re-election in 2022.

Though other names like former Ohio GOP Chair Jane Timken and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy received more buzz among conservative circles as potential replacements for Vance, DeWine ultimately went with his trusted governing partner.

“Every major decision I have made the last six years as governor of the state of Ohio, Jon Husted has played a part in that decision,” DeWine said in announcing his decision in Columbus. “It should not be a shock that Jon and I might disagree on some things. But even in the cases where he saw things differently, my decision was informed, was helped by his input.”

That Husted disagrees with DeWine on some matters likely comes as a relief to many conservatives, as DeWine has received plenty of criticism from within his own party on issues like his response to the COVID-19 pandemic and vetoes of legislation protecting women’s sports and prohibiting transgender hormone treatments for minors.

As Secretary of State and in the Ohio House, Husted proved himself to be a strong fiscal conservative with a knack for slashing spending – exactly the type of expertise Republicans could use in Washington. He also has a history of supporting school choice and pro-life policies.

Like Husted, Ashley Moody is a lifelong resident of the state she now represents in the Senate, graduating from Plant City High School before attending the University of Florida and Stetson University Law School. While a relatively new face in Florida statewide politics, Moody has nonetheless already distinguished herself as a Trump ally and a fierce defender of conservative principles.

As Attorney General of Florida, Moody was a constant thorn in the side of the Biden administration, becoming a close ally of DeSantis. She filed lawsuits against virtually all of the Biden administration’s most controversial actions, including student loan forgiveness, the attempted rewrite of Title IX, and various immigration policies. She has also filed lawsuits against certain provisions of the Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as Obamacare.

Moody’s first foray into politics was a successful 2006 campaign for the 13th Judicial Circuit Court of Florida in Hillsborough County. In 2017 she resigned from the court to run for Florida Attorney General in the 2018 election, beating Democrat Sean Shaw 52 percent to 46 percent. Four years later, she won re-election by a 21-point margin.

At 49 years old, Moody becomes one of just 12 senators under the age of 50 – making her a potential rising star within the party. However, she will first have to face a special election in 2026 to fill the remainder of Rubio’s term and then run in a regularly scheduled election in 2028 for a full term. How well she performs this year could well determine whether she faces a strong primary challenge next year.

Husted will also have to run in 2026 and 2028 – setting up an important pair of special elections for Republicans. While Florida and Ohio have both trended solidly Republican in recent years, Democrats could look to claw back some lost ground in the midterm year, which is historically when candidates of the president’s party are more vulnerable.

In the first few months of their tenures, the biggest test for Husted and Moody will be how well they weather the storm of media criticism and pressure from the D.C. establishment. Seeing as both come from states that Trump turned from purple to ruby red, they have every reason to stand firm behind Trump’s agenda and work with his other allies in the Senate to pass it as swiftly as possible.

Shane Harris is a writer and political consultant from Southwest Ohio. You can follow him on X @shaneharris513.