U.S. Sen. Jon Husted touts hard work at Lorain County GOP Lincoln Day Dinner

NEW RUSSIA TWP. — In the middle of what he predicted will be the "toughest, most expensive race in the country this year," U.S. Sen. Jon Husted spent time Friday night touting the value of hard work and educational choice to the party faithful at the Lorain County Republican Party's 2026 Lincoln Day Dinner. Husted said Lorain County has turned increasingly toward Republican control in recent years, commenting on local officials' "conservative, thoughtful, pro-growth leadership" and "good stewardship of tax dollars." "You've changed this county, but you're not going to do miracles overnight," he said. "You can't give up. You have to believe." A northwest Ohio native now living in the Columbus suburb of Upper Arlington, Husted first was elected to the Ohio House of Representatives in 2000. He ended up speaker of the Ohio House, then later was elected state senator, secretary of state, lieutenant governor and was appointed U.S. Senator in 2025 when then-Sen. JD Vance became vice president. Husted is running in a special election in November to retain the seat. His expected opponent is former U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat who served 32 years in Congress before losing his seat to Republican Bernie Moreno in 2024. Husted was adopted at an early age by a working class Williams County family. He joked they were so poor that they lived on County Road J, saying "We couldn't afford a name, just a letter." Hard work got him to the University of Dayton, into an economic development job and finally into elected government where he took on the issue of educational choice, he said. Families should be able to send their children to whatever schools they want, Husted said. Husted also hit on common Republican talking points such as voting security, border and homeland security, tax reform and the values — "faith, freedom, life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness," he said. Under his leadership, Husted said Ohio became more pro-business, less expensive to do business in and a more attractive place for businesses to relocate. Husted said he was sending positive wishes to Vance, who is negotiating a peace deal to end the Iran War started by Israel and the United States. "We gotta stick together as a Republican team," Husted said adding later: "I will never quit working for you." Contact Dave O'Brien at (440) 329-7129 or dobrien@chroniclet.com.