Sherrod Brown's Chances of Beating Jon Husted to Flip Ohio Senate Seat
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
Former three-time Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown is reentering the political arena following his loss last November, reportedly telling allies he intends to run in Ohio's special Senate election in November 2026.
Why It Matters
Brown's entry into the race presents a good opportunity for Democrats to cut into or overtake Republicans' current majority. Brown, who began his career as a state representative in the 1970s, won U.S. Senate races in 2006, 2012 and 2018 prior to losing to sitting Republican Senator Bernie Moreno last fall by more than 200,000 votes.
The very slim Democratic field affords Brown the opportunity to face off against Republican Senator Jon Husted, Ohio's former lieutenant governor and secretary of state, who was appointed by Republican Governor Mike DeWine to fill the vacant U.S. Senate seat opened by JD Vance becoming vice president.
Newsweek reached out to Brown and Husted via email for comment.
Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown listens during a Senate Banking hearing on June 21, 2023.
Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown listens during a Senate Banking hearing on June 21, 2023.What To Know
Brown has told Democratic allies and labor leaders of his decision, according to sources including Cleveland.com, CNN and Politico.
The ex-senator, who lost to Moreno by a 50.1-46.5 percent margin, had not publicly commented on his campaign at press time.
Polling on a hypothetical Brown-Husted matchup remains slim, with the Democracy and Public Policy Network at Bowling Green State University (BGSU) and YouGov conducted in February and April showing Husted leading by 6 and 3 percentage points, respectively.
The polls each had roughly a 4 percentage point margin of error, according to Real Clear Politics.
Robert Alexander, a professor of political science and founding director of the Democracy and Public Policy Network at BGSU, told Newsweek that Brown's reemergence in Ohio politics is "huge news."
"There were a lot of kinds of inside baseball Ohio folks thinking he was going to run for the governor's position, and would probably have a better shot at running for governor," Alexander said. "I think a lot of Democrats are concerned that [Republican Vivek] Ramaswamy will take the state even further into Trump-y territory."
As for Husted, Alexander said that even with his many years of being a public official in different major statewide offices, "there's a lot of Ohioans that don't know who he is." Also, a candidate's first Senate run is also the most vulnerable.
"Sherrod Brown does have a good name in the state," Alexander added. "He lost against a relative newcomer in Bernie Moreno. Headwinds were against him. Kamala Harris did not fare very well; he certainly overperformed against Harris, so in a midterm election, he's able to change those fortunes a little bit.
"So, I think the risk among the Democrats is worth the reward. It's gonna say, look, this could put us in contention to win back the Senate even if he won the governorship, you know, Republicans. he risk in in outweigh the reward in running for Senate as opposed to the governor's position.
What People Are Saying
Senate Leadership Fund Chairman Cory Gardner, in a statement: "Sherrod Brown has spent his entire career collecting a government paycheck, and now just eight months into retirement and after a date night with Chuck Schumer, he's begging taxpayers for more. Ohioans firmly rejected Sherrod after he oversaw Biden's disastrous inflation crisis as Banking Chairman, and they'll gladly do it again. SLF stands strongly with Senator Husted and we look forward to seeing him re-elected."
What Happens Next
Ohio's special Senate election will be held in November 2026 to determine the seat holder for the remainder of Vance's final two years of his last term, which expires in 2029.
Whoever wins next year will likely run for a full six-year term in 2028.
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