Get to know Jon, your U.S. Senator

Portrait of Jon HustedJon Husted began serving Ohioans in the U.S. Senate in January 2025. For more than two decades, the people of Ohio have trusted him to fight for their jobs, values, and families.

Husted started his life in a foster home before his loving parents, Jim and Judy, adopted him. He is the oldest of three children and was raised in northwest Ohio’s Williams County. The small community instilled in him the importance of faith, family, and hard work, which remain the foundation of his public service.

He graduated from Montpelier High School and earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Dayton. As an All-American defensive back, he helped lead the Dayton Flyers to their 1989 Division III Football National Championship. After earning his master’s degree, Husted remained in the Miami Valley and served as the Vice President for Economic Development at the Dayton-Area Chamber of Commerce.

In 2000, Husted won election to the Ohio House of Representatives. He later was elected unanimously to lead the chamber as Speaker of the House from 2005 to 2009, where he fought for taxpayers by spearheading the passage of the most conservative budget the state had seen in four decades. At the time, that budget included the largest income tax cut in Ohio’s history and the elimination of three business taxes. These reforms fueled an economic revitalization in Ohio. As Speaker, Husted expanded educational freedom for Ohio children through the creation of the EdChoice Scholarship.

Husted followed that with service in the Ohio State Senate until becoming the secretary of state in 2011. There, he helped reduce the cost for starting a business in Ohio by 21%—making Ohio the least costly state in the Midwest for businesses to get started and keep their doors open.

As secretary of state, Husted successfully defended Ohio’s efforts to make it easy to vote and hard to cheat. In the landmark 2018 case Husted v. Philip Randolph Institute, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in his favor, setting a national standard for maintaining the integrity of voter rolls.

Husted’s two successful terms in that role led Ohioans to elect him lieutenant governor, where he championed common-sense solutions to make state government work better for its citizens while lowering costs. Husted expanded career technical education so more Ohio students have access to skills training and can graduate high school career-ready. He also pioneered job training programs like TechCred to provide every Ohioan with access to the credentials they need to earn good jobs. Because Sen. Husted believes in Ohio’s workforce, he has prioritized developing their skills as part of expanding their economic opportunities.

To that end, Husted helped bring twenty-first century jobs to the state, including Intel’s semiconductor investment—the largest manufacturing deal of its kind in Ohio’s history. ­­In the span of five years, more than 60 companies moved their operations from coastal states to Ohio. Because of Husted’s work, Ohio became the tech hub of the Midwest.

As lieutenant governor, Husted also oversaw the Ohio Common Sense Initiative and served as the director of the Governor’s Office of Workforce Transformation. He launched InnovateOhio to cut costs and end bureaucratic waste. One of the regulatory reforms Husted achieved was utilizing artificial intelligence to remove 5 million words from the regulatory code—providing real regulatory reform.

The senator has prioritized keeping Ohio communities safe by securing millions of dollars of funding for law enforcement and by working in the U.S. Senate to secure the border. In the Senate, he has voted to protect women, girls, and their sports and to give law enforcement more tools to convict criminals who have helped flood Ohio communities with the fentanyl that is stealing lives. He has also worked to protect children from online predators. Sen. Husted’s track record of defending the rights of women, children, and the unborn began in his own family. His adoption has made him a faithful pro-family leader and advocate for parents and their children.

Of all his responsibilities, Sen. Husted considers being a loving husband, father, and grandfather the most important. He and his wife, Tina, raised their three children, Alex, Kylie, and Katie, in Ohio and make their home in Columbus. The Husteds became grandparents to Mae in 2023 and are active members of Riverside Church.

In the 119th Congress, the senator serves on the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, the Committee on Environment and Public Works, and the Special Committee on Aging.

 

Senator Husted's Committee Assignments