Republican Senator Jon Husted is gaining significant support from Ohio’s GOP establishment and across the country following former Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown’s surprise announcement to run for the Senate seat vacated by Husted. The race has drawn strong backing from key figures, including Senator Tim Scott and Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, who expressed confidence in Husted’s chances.
Brown, who was ousted in 2023, has faced criticism for his pro-coastal elites stance, but has been defended by top Democrats like Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand. The political landscape in Ohio appears to be shifting, with the state turning increasingly red over the past decade. Trump carried the state by 11 points over then-Vice President Kamala Harris, but Brown outperformed the top of the ticket, losing to Moreno by less than four points.
Support for Husted has also come from some corners of Ohio that historically would have been fond of Brown, who has championed himself as a candidate of the working class over the past 20 years. The sheriff of Brown’s home county and the Northwest Ohio Building & Construction Trades Council, representing thousands of skilled workers, have endorsed Husted. This endorsement was met with praise from Ohio Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose, who called it well-earned.
Brown, who spent over three decades representing Ohio in the House and later the Senate, was highly recruited by top national Democrats, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. Schumer made two trips to the Buckeye state to try and convince Brown to run again. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) has been actively touting Brown’s announcement, labeling him as a candidate who is looking out for Ohio workers and accusing Husted of selling out Ohioans with his support for Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill.’
The party not holding the White House typically experiences strong turnout in midterm elections, and Democrats are optimistic about a strong showing. However, with Trump not on the ballot to boost Republican turnout, the presence of Republican Vivek Ramaswamy running for governor of Ohio in 2026 could help alleviate that issue along with lingering negative attitudes toward the Biden administration.
Ohio Republican Party Chair Alex Triantafilou told Spectrum News, ‘Having Sherrod on the ticket and asking Ohio voters who were strongly supportive of President Trump and the mission of our party, whether they want to go backwards, that’ll be a strong turnout argument for us with our party faithful in Ohio. Because we cannot return to the days of Sherrod Brown and Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.’