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Boston Globe
6 days ago
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Sherrod Brown, Ohio's highest-profile Democrat, reportedly expected to seek a return to the US Senate in 2026
Democrats view Brown, a three-term former senator and champion of the working class, as among their most formidable candidates despite his 2024 reelection defeat to Republican Bernie Moreno. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up His entry into the race would mark another major recruiting win for the party. While Democrats face a daunting Senate map in next year's midterm elections, they have been buoyed by the decisions of well known candidates to run in high-profile races. That includes in North Carolina, where former Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper announced that he will be running for an open Senate seat, giving Democrats a proven statewide winner in a race that is expected to be one of the most competitive 2026 contests. Advertisement Republicans, meanwhile, have struggled to line up candidates in key battleground states like Georgia, where term-limited Brian Kemp passed on challenging Democratic incumbent Sen. Jon Ossoff, whom Republican leaders have made their biggest target in next year's midterm elections. Advertisement In Ohio, numerous fellow Democrats had been deferring to Brown before announcing their own plans for 2026, when every statewide executive office in Ohio is up for grabs due to term limits. Besides Senate, Brown was also weighing a run for governor. He immediately becomes the front-runner for the Democratic Senate nomination. Husted was appointed to succeed then-Sen. JD Vance after Vance won the 2024 election alongside Trump. Husted's appointment to the seat expires next year. The winner of a fall 2026 special election will serve the remainder of Vance's unexpired six-year term, which runs through 2028, and then would need to run again for a full term. It's unclear how Brown's usual electoral advantage in name recognition might play against Husted, who spent more than 20 years as a statewide officeholder and state lawmaker. But Democratic strategists said Tuesday that a Husted-Brown race would be more centered on Ohio themes, an advantage for Brown over last year's nationally focused contest against Moreno. Trump's endorsement has been a winning formula in Senate bids by both Moreno and Vance before him, who both scored wins as political newcomers even amid fields that included more experienced rivals. Husted's campaign spokesman Tyson Shepherd said in a statement, 'Should Brown enter the race as (Senate Democratic Leader Chuck) Schumer's handpicked candidate he will be starting in the biggest hole of his political career. He has never faced a candidate like Jon Husted.' Ahead of his decision, Schumer visited Ohio to meet with Brown at least twice, as first reported by Axios. Schumer's deep-pocketed Senate Majority PAC helped make Brown's race against Moreno the most expensive in U.S. history. Advertisement Brown launched a pro-worker organization called the Dignity of Work Institute in March, as he weighed his own — and his party's — future in the wake of 2024's losses. Associated Press writers Jill Colvin and Joey Cappelletti contributed to this report.
NBC News
08-07-2025
- Business
- NBC News
Independent Dan Osborn launches another Nebraska Senate run
Independent Dan Osborn launched another run for the Senate in Nebraska on Tuesday after having waged a surprisingly competitive, though ultimately unsuccessful, campaign last year. And Osborn said the biggest difference between last year and next year will be his Republican opponent. 'Everything that I talk about, I think Pete Ricketts embodies,' Osborn said in an interview, referring to the Republican senator and former governor who is running for his first full Senate term next year after he won a special election last year. 'Billionaires shouldn't be able to buy their way into Senate seats, first of all,' Osborn said. 'But it's this race to the bottom that people like me are experiencing, because it's — everything is so expensive, and it's just extremely difficult to get ahead in life.' Republicans have already signaled that they plan to deploy the same playbook they used against Osborn last year, casting him as a Democrat masquerading as an independent. Osborn went on to lose to Republican Sen. Deb Fischer by 7 percentage points. 'Despite his best efforts, Nebraskans found out that Osborn was a Democrat in disguise, funded by out-of-state Democrats like Chuck Schumer,' Fischer wrote in an X post in April, which Ricketts reshared, after Osborn said this year that he was exploring another Senate run. Republicans are looking to protect the party's 53-47 majority in the Senate next year. Osborn had been weighing runs for the Senate, the House or governor and launched a political action committee to support working-class candidates. Osborn received some financial support from Democrats during his 2024 bid, as the party did not field a candidate against Fischer. The Senate Majority PAC, which is aligned with Schumer, of New York, the Senate Democratic leader, donated to a super PAC that boosted Osborn, though outside groups cannot coordinate with campaigns. Osborn also had the backing of some prominent Democratic donors, like Tom Steyer, when he raised more than $15 million in his campaign. And he recently shared a fundraising link for ActBlue, a Democratic fundraising platform. But Osborn has still maintained independence from the Democratic Party, and he said he would not caucus with either party if were elected. 'First of all, I've been a registered independent from the time I could vote,' Osborn said. 'But second of all, I didn't ask for that money. This time around, I'm not going to ask for it again. The Democrats are going to do what the Democrats do, and Republicans are going to do what the Republicans are going to do. And I just want to show the people that an independent can win in a state like Nebraska or any state, for that matter.' Osborn told The New York Times last year that he was a Democrat until 2016, but he recently said he 'misspoke' during that interview. 'I was telling the reporter that I grew up in a conservative household, and I've voted for Democrats, and I've voted for Republicans,' Osborn said. 'I tend to vote based off of principles, first, before party. And somewhere in that conversation, that got skewed a little bit. I don't remember the context of the year 2016 and why that was relevant in the conversation.' KETV of Omaha reported that Osborn has been registered as a 'nonpartisan' since 2004, and state records also show a "Daniel L. Osborn" registered as nonpartisan. 'Fiscally, I would, I would fall in line with more of a traditional conservative,' Osborn said. 'Sometimes I think a small government can be a better government. But when it comes to social issues and lifting up people in need, I would lean left that way.' Osborn said he does not plan to seek the state Democratic Party's endorsement. Last year, Nebraska Democratic Party Chairwoman Jane Kleeb accused Osborn of 'going back on his word' by ultimately saying he did not want the party's endorsement after having quietly sought it for months. Osborn said that he had hoped for both the Democratic Party's and the Libertarian Party's support but that he decided to forgo the endorsements when they could not be made at the same time. 'I was seeking the endorsement of everybody,' he said. Republicans' efforts to paint him as a Democrat underscore the delicate balancing act Osborn faces as he runs in a state Donald Trump carried by 20 points last year. Osborn said he did not vote for Trump or Vice President Kamala Harris in November, instead writing in United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain for president. Osborn, a former union organizer, described Fain as 'one of my personal heroes.' During his Senate run last year, Osborn's campaign launched a TV ad saying he was with Trump 'on China, the border and draining the swamp.' Osborn said he still aligns with Trump on border security, saying former President Joe Biden 'did fail on the border.' Osborn had mixed views of Trump's trade policies, saying tariffs 'definitely have their time and place' but adding that they need to be 'calculated and targeted.' 'Blanket tariffs, especially with our neighbors Canada and Mexico, doesn't make any sense to me,' Osborn said. 'I think that all that's going to do is increase prices for the consumers and make life more expensive at a time where it's too damn expensive already.' Osborn was hesitant to directly criticize Trump by name, but he did say he would have voted against Trump's sweeping tax and spending bill, pointing to cuts in social programs and tax cuts that would benefit the wealthy. 'It's going to cut services for people. They're going to have to cut through so much red tape to continue to have their special-needs kids or whatever the case they're on these programs for,' he said. 'And folks like Ricketts are going to continue to make millions more off of these cuts. I just don't see how everybody didn't have a problem with that.'
Yahoo
30-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
NC Sen. Thom Tillis' isn't running for 3rd term. What Trump, others are saying
North Carolina Republican U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis made an unexpected decision not to seek a third term Sunday morning. And it drew a sharp reaction from President Donald Trump: 'Great News! 'Senator' Thom Tillis will not be seeking reelection.' The day before, the Republican president had threatened to find a primary-election challenger to Tillis — a former speaker of the state House — over his opposition to Trump's 'One Big Beautiful Bill.' The Huntersville resident argued the bill would hurt hospitals and rural North Carolinians with its Medicaid cuts. On his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump posted Saturday night saying he was already planning to meet with possible candidates in the weeks ahead to challenge Tillis for the 2026 midterms. 'Thom Tillis is making a BIG MISTAKE for America, and the Wonderful People of North Carolina!' Trump wrote in another Truth Social post Saturday night. The next morning, Tillis announced it was 'not a hard choice' to take a step back and focus on family. Attention was already on the upcoming race for Tillis' Senate seat, which is sure to be an indicator of Trump's favorability among North Carolina voters. Democrats are preparing to prioritize the campaign for the Republican-held seat in what is certain to be a costly midterm. North Carolina is a swing state, but has not elected a Democrat to the Senate since 2008. A Democratic political action committee, Senate Majority PAC, jumped on Tillis' announcement as an opportunity for change. The PAC's main objective is to win Senate races for Democratic candidates. 'Democrats were poised to win in North Carolina whether Thom Tillis' name was on the ballot in November 2026 or not. But his early retirement proves there is no space within the Republican party to dissent over taking health care away from 11.8 million people by destroying Medicaid and raising costs,' a spokesperson for the PAC, Lauren French, said in a press release. However, the National Republican Senatorial Committee's chairman, Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, said in a press release that after more than a decade of GOP representation in the Senate, North Carolina Republicans' hold on Tillis' seat would not be going away. Trump also won the state in the past three presidential elections. 'That streak will continue in 2026 when North Carolinians elect a conservative leader committed to advancing an agenda of opportunity, prosperity, and security,' the press release said. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, weighed in on X, saying that despite their political differences, he supported Tillis in voting against the 'big beautiful bill.' 'The Republican Party today is a cult. Either you do as Trump wants, or you're out,' Sanders said. 'Pathetic.' Closer to home, Democratic Reps. Alma Adams of Charlotte and Deborah Ross of Raleigh both had positive things to say about Tillis, too. Ross commended Tillis' time in the U.S. Senate and praised his decision to deny Trump's megabill as 'putting his commitment to the people of North Carolina above his loyalty to the leaders of the Republican Party.' 'It is imperative that our next senator is someone who will hold President Trump and his administration accountable,' her statement said. Adams said she wanted to commend Tillis 'for his courage and commitment in doing the right thing for our country.' His vote 'was a teachable moment to our youth about the importance of putting country before yourself,' she said. North Carolina's former lieutenant governor, Republican Mark Robinson, was aligned with the MAGA wing of the GOP and often feuded with Tillis before losing the race for governor last year. Robinson responded to a post on X that said Tillis' decision to step down 'is the final nail in the coffin of the North Carolina Republican Party of years passed [sic].' 'I couldn't have said it better,' Robinson said. North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson added on X that 'the time was right' for Tillis to step down. Trump's bill would be devastating to North Carolina, he added.
