Democrat Sherrod Brown Launches Senate Comeback Bid Against Republican Jon Husted
Brown announced his campaign in an Aug. 18 video, saying he didn't plan on running for office again but was moved to do so in response to developments in Washington that he says don't serve the best interests of Ohioans.
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Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Sherrod Brown's first interview on 2026 Senate run: The ‘system got worse'
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — In his first TV interview since announcing his 2026 U.S. Senate bid, Sherrod Brown told NBC4 he didn't plan to run again, but 'as this year wore on, this rigged system got worse.' The Democrat launched his comeback campaign on Monday, putting himself back in the national spotlight after narrowly losing re-election last year and setting the stage for a 2026 showdown against Republican Jon Husted. NBC4's Colleen Marshall was the first TV anchor to interview the 72-year-old since making his announcement. 'I spent I spent my whole career in public office, fighting against a rigged system,' Brown said. 'I didn't really ever expect to run for office again. As this year wore on, this rigged system got worse: 490,000 Ohioans will lose health insurance … a huge tax cut driving a $3 trillion hole in the federal budget, and prices kept going up.' Ramaswamy sets Ohio record with $9 million for governor's race; Acton at $1.4 million Brown is running in a special election, which will determine who finishes the remainder of J.D. Vance's Senate term. Vance vacated the seat in January to become vice president, prompting Gov. Mike DeWine to appoint then-Lt. Gov. Husted to fill the vacancy. Watch Marshall's full interview with Brown below. Multiple media outlets reported earlier in August that Brown would mount a Senate return, but the decision was a surprise given the former senator was also eyeing Ohio's 2026 gubernatorial race. However, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer reportedly met with Brown multiple times, urging him to face off against Husted as Democrats look to reclaim Senate control. 'We were hearing from lots of people … what was unanimous is people saying things are getting worse in this country, things during the last few months are getting worse, prices are getting worse,' said Brown. 'I thought I could have the biggest impact in the Senate, in large part because we don't have a voice for Ohio workers in the United States Senate.' Supreme Court appeal reignites push to repeal Ohio's same-sex marriage ban Husted, a longtime fixture in Ohio Republican politics, officially launched his campaign earlier this year and has quickly consolidated GOP support, including an early endorsement from President Donald Trump. Husted has more than $2.6 million in campaign funds and the backing of national conservative organizations. Brown said Husted has spent his career — from serving as the speaker of the Ohio House, to lieutenant governor and now senator — advocating 'for wealth people and big corporations' by increasing the deficit and voting for tax cuts for billionaires and Medicaid cuts. He argued the Republican is 'against the middle class and against public interest in Ohio.' 'I have fought for workers no matter what job I held in elective office. As a congressman, as a senator, I've been one of the strongest voice for workers,' said Brown. '[Husted's] been a strong voice for Wall Street. He's been a strong voice for the drug company. … Do you want somebody who's been on the side of workers in the middle class and keeping prices down, or do you want somebody who's been on the side of Wall Street?' Brown is starting financially fresh. The former senator finished 2024's race with $394,000 on hand, which he then funneled into a political action committee called 'Dignity of Work.' The effort coincided with Brown's creation in March of the Dignity of Work Institute, a nonprofit group to address working-class issues like low wages and home ownership. Central Ohio Republican lawmaker vows to push back on DeWine effort to ban prop bets His race against Moreno was the most expensive in the nation last fall, with a record-breaking $483 million spent, the highest for any nonpresidential election on record, according to AdImpact. Republicans cashed in $251 million for Moreno, while Democrats spent $232 million to boost Brown. The winner of the 2026 race for Ohio's U.S. Senate seat will be completing Vance's original term, which runs through 2028. If that senator wants to serve a full six-year term, they will need to run again in 2028. Still, Brown said he runs for 'these jobs knowing it's temporary and how important it is to perform.' If he wins in 2026, Brown said he'll decided whether to run in 2028 at a later time. 'As I said, [my wife] Connie and I thought we were not running again. When we hear from people whose lives have gotten worse these last eight months and are going to get worse if we continue this direction — closing rural hospitals, drug prices going up, and grocery prices going up — that's why we got back in,' said Brown. 'That's why I want to continue this fight.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
21 hours ago
- The Hill
Sherrod Brown raises $3.6M in 24 hours since launching Senate bid
Former Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown (D) raised more than $3.6 million in the first 24 hours after he launched his comeback campaign for Senate Monday. Brown's campaign said in a release on Tuesday that the donations came from all 88 of Ohio's counties and 95 percent of them were less than $100, averaging $53 per donation. The release states that $3 million went to Brown's campaign itself, while the other $600,000 went to affiliated joint fundraising committees that can support his campaign. 'Ohioans are fired up to send Sherrod Brown to fight for them in the Senate,' said Brown campaign manager Patrick Eisenhauer in a statement. 'Sherrod has lived his life by three principles: standing up for workers, treating everyone with dignity and respect, and working as hard as possible for the people of Ohio. He's running to be a voice for Ohioans and fight back against politicians doing the bidding of corporations and billionaires.' Brown's entrance into the Senate race against Sen. Jon Husted (R) is a win for Democrats who are hoping to make the contest competitive as they face a tough map toward trying to win back control of the Senate next year. Ohio has increasingly voted for President Trump through each of his three presidential campaigns, but Brown was the last Democrat elected statewide and has consistently outperformed the top of the ticket. He only lost reelection last year by about 3.5 points to Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio). Husted was appointed to fill the Senate seat vacated by Vice President Vance and is running in a special election to serve the remainder of the term. Whoever wins the election would have to run again in 2028 if they wish to serve a full term. Brown has sought to develop a reputation for himself as a champion of the working class and Ohioans. Still, he will face an uphill battle in a state that has increasingly elected Republicans statewide in recent years.
USA Today
21 hours ago
- USA Today
Amid Intel delays, state lawmakers call for public updates, fiscal accounting
Two state lawmakers are calling for Intel to provide quarterly updates and a full financial accounting of its Ohio One microchip factories that have been plagued by delays. State Reps. Beryl Brown Piccolantonio, D-Gahanna, and Sean Patrick Brennan, D-Parma, introduced a House resolution Aug. 14, calling on the chipmaker to provide more information given the delays. Intel's first Ohio plant was originally set to open in 2025, but financial challenges forced the company to delay that opening to 2030 or 2031. The Democrats' resolution likely faces an uphill battle in a legislature dominated by Republicans. Related Ohio Intel factory article: Gov. Mike DeWine responds to news Intel will 'further slow' construction on Ohio factories Intel is required to provide state officials an annual status report and an updated timeline each year, and the next one is not expected to be filed until March. The $28 billion Ohio One campus was projected to bring 3,000 new jobs to New Albany, where construction continues, though it has slowed in recent months, according to Intel. The company was awarded $7.865 billion in funding as part of the federal CHIPS Incentives Program, at least $1.5 billion of which was set to go toward the New Albany project, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. An agreement between Intel and the Ohio Department of Development offered the company $300 million in grants to help with the construction of each factory, as long as they were completed by the end of 2028. 'Ohioans deserve a full accounting of the millions of our dollars that have been spent on the Intel chip factories and a reliable plan for the millions more that are to come," Brown Piccolantonio said in a news release. "In addition to the extraordinary investment of public dollars, the impact of this project on our surrounding communities has already been tremendous." The resolution calls on Gov. Mike DeWine's office, the state Development Department and its private nonprofit development corporation JobsOhio to release quarterly updates beginning in the fall. The resolution asks for those updates to include construction progress, financial disclosures and strategic changes Intel might be considering for its Ohio One project. The resolution would also seek to make contingency planning for the project public, including any options for tax dollar claw-backs, changes to partnerships or the potential for other chipmakers to take over or co-develop the site. 'This is not about assigning blame — it's about ensuring accountability,' Brennan said in the release. 'As Intel reevaluates its global footprint and as market conditions shift, we need real-time information. We owe it to every Ohioan who has a stake in this deal.' Intel already provides quarterly financial reports for the water reclamation grant it received from the state, DeWine spokesperson Dan Tierney said. The latest report was filed July 9, and the state will provide it and previous reports filed by Intel to Piccolantonio and Brennan, Tierney said. To date, Ohio has paid Intel $718 million in incentives, which Tierney said the state can claw back in January 2029 should the company fail to meet its commitments. Intel has already invested $7 billion in its Ohio One project, Tierney said. The Dispatch has also reached out to Intel for comment. Brown Piccolantonio and Brennan introduced the resolution a week after U.S. Sen. Bernie Moreno raised concerns about Intel's local plans. Moreno called for an investigation into how Intel has used its public funding for the Ohio factories. "They made lots of promises to Ohio. What I worry about is we end up with a white elephant in Licking County with a facility or fab that isn't completed," Moreno told The Dispatch. "We should investigate to see if there was fraud committed." Dispatch investigative reporter Max Filby can be reached by email at mfilby@ Find him on X at the handle @MaxFilby or on Facebook at @ReporterMaxFilby.
