Democrat Sherrod Brown, the gravelly-voiced Democrat known for his rumpled suits and working-class values, is seeking a return to the Senate after losing his reelection bid last year.
“Standing up for workers. Treating everyone with dignity and respect. Working as hard as possible for the people of Ohio. I’ve tried to live my life by those principles. But these days that’s not what’s happening in Washington,” Brown said in announcement video shared Monday on X.
The announcement provided a jolt of good news to Democrats, who face a challenging map as they try to regain control of the Senate. Republicans head into the 2026 midterm elections holding 53 seats in the chamber. Just three races — North Carolina, Georgia and Michigan — are currently rated as Toss-ups by Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales. But two of those seats are currently held by Democrats. Even if Democrats win all three Toss-up races, it would only result in a net gain of one seat and still leave Republicans in charge.
But the picture for Democrats brightened considerably last month, after former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper jumped into the race for the Tar Heel State’s open seat. Brown’s candidacy represents another cause for Democratic optimism. Following the news that Brown was entering the race, Inside Elections shifted its rating from Solid Republican to Lean Republican.
Since his first election to the Senate in 2006, Brown grew accustomed to winning by fairly comfortable margins, even as Ohio moved further to the right. But in 2024, with Donald Trump on the ballot, Brown was unable to overcome the deep erosion of the Democratic brand in the Buckeye State; he lost to Republican businessman Bernie Moreno by nearly 4 points in one of the nation’s hardest-fought and most expensive Senate races.
But Democrats say if anyone can overcome Ohio’s recent shifts, it’s Brown. This time, he is set to face appointed Republican Sen. Jon Husted, who filled the seat vacated when JD Vance became vice president.
“No one fights harder for Ohio than Sherrod Brown,” Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer and Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chair Kirsten Gillibrand, both New York Democrats, said in a joint statement. “From securing Ohioans’ retirement and Social Security benefits to cracking down on fentanyl from China and Mexico, Sherrod will always do what’s right for Ohioans. In the Senate, Sherrod will stand up to the chaos, recklessness and rising prices hurting working families and make sure Ohioans have the champion they deserve.”
Republicans are confident they will hold the seat.
“Ohioans just rejected Sherrod Brown’s radical agenda of allowing biological men to compete in women’s sports, fueling mass illegal immigration, and failing to protect Ohio’s good-paying manufacturing jobs,” Nick Puglia, a regional press secretary for the National Republican Senatorial Committee, said in a statement. “If Brown wins his primary, we remain confident voters will reject him again in 2026.”
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