Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine is expected to appoint Lt. Gov. Jon Husted to take over the Senate seat recently vacated by Vice President-elect J.D. Vance, two people familiar with the matter told NBC News.

The announcement is scheduled to be announced at a news conference at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus on Friday at 1 p.m., the sources said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

A spokesman for DeWine declined to comment on the agenda for the press conference. A spokesman for Husted did not respond to a request for comment.

Husted will serve at least until a 2026 special election to fill the remaining two years of Vance's term, and he has recently emerged as a leading contender. DeWine has said appointing someone who can win next year's competitive Republican primary is one of his main considerations.

The decision follows Vance's resignation after DeWine and Husted met with President-elect Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida last month.

Two sources with knowledge of the meeting told NBC News that Husted's interest in succeeding DeWine as governor in 2026 and the possibility of Husted receiving Trump's endorsement were a topic. But Trump made no commitments to Husted about the campaign or the Senate vacancy, these sources said.

Hearst's upcoming appointment comes amid the latest push from biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, a close Trump ally who Live in the Columbus area.

Last fall, Ramaswamy dropped out of the race after agreeing to lead the Department of Government Effectiveness in the new Trump administration. But he recently said he had changed his mind and met with DeWine about the appointment.

Other candidates to replace Vance include former state Republican Party Chair Jane Timken, state Treasurer Robert Sprague, Rep. Mike Carey and former state Rep. Jay Edwards.

The Ohio Signal first reported that DeWine had chosen Husted.

Trump is a political force in Ohio, where he has narrowly won three times. He and DeWine were on opposite sides during last year's Republican primary for the state's other Senate seat. In this race, DeWine is endorsing a state legislator loathed by much of Trumpworld instead of Bernie Moreno, a Trump-backed businessman.

Moreno easily won the primary and went on to unseat Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown, who has not ruled out running in a special election next year for Vance's old seat.

DeWine and Husted have been allies since they ran together in 2018. Husted also planned to run for governor that year, but he agreed to join DeWine as lieutenant governor.

Despite their close relationship, Husted, 57, has tried to make his own way within the party. He endorsed Trump's bid for president in 2024 hours before last year's Iowa caucuses and is close to Ramaswamy.

Ramaswamy's potential interest in the 2026 gubernatorial race, coupled with Trump's reluctance to endorse Husted early, may be factors that influence Husted's decision whether to accept DeWine's appointment as senator. Other prominent Republicans, including Sprague and Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, have also been gearing up for gubernatorial races, threatening to expand the field even further.