Sherrod Brown kicks off Ohio Senate run against Sen. Jon Husted
His comeback didn't take long.
Brown, 72, announced Aug. 18 that he'll run for Senate in 2026 against Sen. Jon Husted, who was appointed to replace Vice President JD Vance earlier this year. Neither candidate is expected to face a serious primary challenge, meaning they can focus squarely on next year's general election.
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"Ohio doesn't have a United States senator that cares about workers, period," Brown said in an interview with the statehouse bureau. "I want to be that again. I can make a difference."
Brown's announcement came months after he lost to Sen. Bernie Moreno in one of the country's most competitive Senate races. It also ended speculation about his political future and whether he would run for governor against the presumptive GOP nominee, Vivek Ramaswamy.
Despite help from national Democrats in 2024, Brown couldn't overcome President Donald Trump's popularity in Ohio and his impact on the rest of the Republican ticket. Trump defeated former Vice President Kamala Harris by 11 points, while Brown lost to Moreno by fewer than four.
2026 could be different. Midterm elections typically benefit the party that doesn't control the White House, and Trump's approval rating has dropped since he took office. Democrats in Ohio and nationally have blasted Republicans for supporting Medicaid cuts and aggressive immigration enforcement.
"Voters didn't vote to lose their Medicaid," Brown said. "Voters didn't vote to have drug prices go up. Voters didn't vote for higher grocery prices. I think that it's a very different year in that sense. Voters just think they've been shortchanged and the system's rigged, and it's only gotten worse."
Does Brown have a better shot in 2026?
Because Brown outperformed Harris, Democrats believe he's their best shot at reclaiming an Ohio Senate seat. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer urged Brown to run as part of a broader effort to flip the Senate, Axios reported.
One political observer agreed that Brown's candidacy improves Democrats' chances. Sabato's Crystal Ball switched Ohio's race from likely Republican to lean Republican after Cleveland.com broke the news of Brown's plans.
But it will be a difficult race, in part because Husted has more political experience than Brown's previous opponents, said Kyle Kondik, an Ohio native and managing editor for Sabato's Crystal Ball.
"For national Democrats in the Senate, you want to try to put as many seats in play as possible," Kondik said. "I think Ohio is more in play now than it was a couple days ago. But I still think it's an uphill fight."
Husted, 57, has been a reliable backer of Trump despite hailing from traditional Republican roots. Most notably, he supported the "big, beautiful bill" that increased funding for border security, eliminated taxes on tips and overtime, and slashed Medicaid spending by imposing work requirements on patients.
Unlike previous Senate races, Republicans intend to avoid a messy primary. Trump and the Ohio GOP already endorsed Husted, and his campaign raised $2 million in the second quarter of this year, according to the Federal Election Commission
"It's just staying focused on what goes on in Ohio, how I can serve Ohio, how I can create jobs, how I can help people build an educational background and skills and create prosperity − and talk about what I'm trying to do to accomplish that," Husted told the statehouse bureau before Brown's announcement. "It doesn't matter who the opponent is. It really doesn't."
The winner in 2026 will be up for reelection two years later. When asked about 2028 − should he win next year − Brown said he hasn't decided whether he'd run again.
State government reporter Haley BeMiller can be reached at hbemiller@gannett.com or @haleybemiller on X.
What do you think of Ohio's U.S. Senate race?
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Sherrod Brown launches Ohio Senate campaign against Jon Husted
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