Key Takeaways
- Ohio Is Trump Country: Ohio has shifted decisively Republican, backing Trump’s America First agenda, leaving Democrats like Sherrod Brown struggling to keep pace.
- Brown Faces an Uphill Climb: Once popular statewide, Brown now faces Senator John Husted in a state where Democrats haven’t won much in decades.
- Senate Control Still Out of Reach: Even with Brown in the race, Democrats need four net pickups to regain Senate control—an increasingly tall order with Ohio trending redder each cycle.
Sherrod Brown is dusting off his campaign boots. The 72-year-old Democrat announced Monday that he will once again run for the U.S. Senate seat he narrowly lost last year to Republican businessman Bernie Moreno. Brown says he was pulled back into politics by President Trump’s tariffs and health-care reforms—moves that have strengthened American industry and reduced government waste, but which Brown calls a reason to re-enter the ring.
“I didn’t plan to run for office again. But when I see what’s going on, I know I can do something about it for Ohio,” Brown declared in a campaign video.
Brown spent nearly two decades in the Senate, styling himself as a champion of blue-collar workers. But Ohio has changed. Once a battleground, the Buckeye State has shifted decisively red over the last decade, embracing Trump’s America First agenda and electing Republicans up and down the ballot.
Now, Brown is eyeing a rematch—this time likely against Senator John Husted, who was appointed to fill the seat left by J.D. Vance when he became Vice President. Husted, a former lieutenant governor with deep GOP ties, has the momentum of a state that increasingly rejects Democratic talking points about globalization and government-run solutions.
Analysts acknowledge Brown is no pushover. The Cook Political Report shifted the race from “likely Republican” to “lean Republican” after his announcement. Still, Democrats face an uphill climb: they need four net pickups to reclaim Senate control, and Ohio is hardly friendly terrain.
Brown may frame his comeback as a fight for workers, but Ohio voters have already signaled where their loyalties lie—with Trump’s vision of stronger borders, fairer trade, and a freer economy. Brown’s problem isn’t just age or baggage—it’s that his party’s policies no longer resonate in a state that’s thriving under a pro-growth, pro-America agenda.