Democrat Sherrod Brown Launches Senate Comeback Bid Against Republican Jon Husted

The veteran Ohio politician describes his campaign as a fight for workers, while Republicans say he’s out of step.

Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) speaks at a press conference on the introduction of the Senate ETHICS Act outside of the U.S. Capitol on April 18, 2023. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Former Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) has launched a comeback bid to reclaim a seat in the chamber, announcing a challenge against Sen. Jon Husted (R-Ohio) in what could be one of the nation’s most closely watched races of 2026.

Brown announced his campaign in an Aug. 18 video, saying he didn’t plan on running for office again but was moved to do so in response to developments in Washington that he says don’t serve the best interests of Ohioans.

“Standing up for workers. Treating everyone with dignity and respect. Working as hard as possible for the people of Ohio. ... These days, that’s not what’s happening in Washington,” he said.

Citing “reckless tariffs and economic chaos” that he said are driving up prices for families and threatening small businesses, he accused Republicans of raising drug prices and stripping health coverage from hundreds of thousands of Ohio residents.

The 72-year-old Democrat lost reelection in 2024 to Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) in what was the most expensive Senate race in U.S. history.

Husted, a former Ohio lieutenant governor, secretary of state, and state senator, was appointed to the U.S. Senate in January after then-Sen. JD Vance resigned to become vice president. He has secured President Donald Trump’s early endorsement and reported raising $2.9 million in the most recent fundraising quarter.

The Epoch Times reached out to the Brown campaign with a request for fundraising information but did not receive a response by the time of publication.

Husted’s campaign brushed off Brown’s comeback bid.

Brown will be “starting in the biggest hole of his political career,” Husted campaign spokesperson Tyson Shepard said. His “slogans will ring hollow as his coalition walks away, tired of the radical policies he’s forced to support to appease his coastal bosses in California and New York,” he said.

Brown backed President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, which Republicans and others have described as a “radical” measure that includes climate-related provisions that they said threatened fossil fuel and manufacturing jobs and drove up energy prices.

Vance dubbed the bill the “Inflation Explosion Act” and, while still a senator from Ohio, said it was “the biggest driver of inflation in the United States” at the time.

Brown countered that his career has been “about workers,” while accusing Husted of siding with special interests. He also pointed to ties Husted allegedly has to an energy company at the center of a $60 million bribery scandal that sent former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder to prison.

Husted has denied any involvement with the Akron-based company and has not been accused of any wrongdoing.

The Ohio Republican Party said on X that the state is a “Republican stronghold thanks to President Trump.”

“We’re with Jon Husted,” it stated.

The Ohio Democratic Party said on X that Republicans’ “poor policy decisions and tax laws have led to corporations rolling in it while families fall further behind” and that “Ohioans are ready for a change.”

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chair Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) released a statement on Brown’s entrance into the Ohio Senate race, saying he'll “always do what’s right” for the people of Ohio.

“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,” they said.

Ohio, once a bellwether state, has tilted firmly toward Republicans in the Trump era, and Trump won it three times by increasingly wide margins.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.