Jon Husted

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A volunteer serving as a county campaign chair for U.S. Sen. Jon Husted’s re-election campaign has resigned after NBC News reported he previously served jail time following allegations of sexual misconduct involving a minor.

NBC News reported that Andrew Havas stepped down after the outlet contacted Husted’s campaign about his background. Court records reviewed by NBC News show Havas was initially charged in Mahoning County following a 2008 incident involving a 15-year-old. The original charge was later reduced to a misdemeanor assault count, to which Havas pleaded guilty.

“Mr. Havas did not disclose his history to the campaign. Upon learning the facts, we immediately accepted his resignation as a campaign volunteer,” Husted campaign spokesperson Amy Natoce told NBC News.

Havas was sentenced to 90 days in the Mahoning County jail, fined and ordered to have no contact with the minor. He served the sentence from May to August 2009, according to NBC News.

Havas also serves as vice chair of the Franklin County Republican Party’s executive committee. He represented the county as one of Husted’s volunteer campaign chairs and appeared at least twice at campaign events this year on the senator’s behalf.

Husted, Ohio’s former lieutenant governor, was appointed to the U.S. Senate by Gov. Mike DeWine in January 2025 to fill the seat vacated by Vice President JD Vance. He is seeking a full term in a special election on Nov. 3 against former Democratic U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown in one of the nation’s most closely watched races.