Former Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) is planning on making a comeback bid next year against Republican incumbent Sen. Jon Husted, according to Politico and The Cleveland Plain Dealer.
Three Ohio labor leaders told the Plain Dealer that Brown had informed them of his decision to run for his old job again. The 72-year-old Ohio Democrat lost to Republican businessman Bernie Moreno in a hard-fought election last year after serving three terms in the Senate.
Brown has remained politically active since leaving Washington. He launched his Dignity of Work Institute, an organization that is focused on reducing the cost of living for working-class voters.
“Workers keep telling us the status quo is unacceptable, yet neither party has an agenda to create the dramatic change workers want,” Brown said earlier this year. “We need to fundamentally transform our economy to make working people the winners in our society.”
Last week, Axios reported that Brown was interviewing Senate campaign managers.
Brown is aiming to take on Husted, the 57-year-old former Ohio lieutenant governor who was appointed by Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) in January to fill the seat vacated by J.D. Vance after he was elected as Donald Trump’s vice president.
Democrats are facing an uphill battle in the Buckeye State, which Trump carried by about 11 points in the 2024 presidential election. Moreover, successful comeback Senate campaigns are rare. The last occurred in 2002 when former Democratic Sen. Frank Lautenberg came out of retirement to win another term in New Jersey.
“Chuck Schumer and the Democrats are so desperate they’ve recycled a liberal loser. Ohioans just rejected Sherrod Brown and they’ll do it again in 2026,” Nick Puglia, a National Republican Senatorial Committee spokesperson, said in a statement to HuffPost.
But Brown could benefit from a favorable political environment next year. Republicans are already playing defense over their unpopular policy agenda of slashing Medicaid health insurance and cutting taxes for the wealthy at the expense of the poor. A backlash to Trump’s administration could help boost Democratic candidates across the country.
CORRECTION: This story has been amended to correctly reflect the extent of Trump’s win in Ohio.