“Sherrod Brown let us down.” That was the tag line for a campaign ad years ago, and it always comes to mind anytime I hear his name. Now he’s back, less than a year after losing his Senate seat to Bernie Moreno, hoping to take out Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine’s appointee, Sen. Jon Husted, in a 2026 Special Election.
Until Brown lost in 2024, the career politician, age 72, had held elected office since 1974, save for two years in the early ’90s—that’s more than half a century. For perspective, I’m 61, and he’s been living on the public dole since I was in the 4th grade. Now, he is reportedly running again, although he hasn’t yet made an official announcement.
His political longevity is the result of two factors: 1. incumbency, which has historically given those in office an 80-100% advantage, and 2. his ability to shapeshift into an Average Joe, blue-collar guy, similar to what Joe Biden did before everything fell apart for him.
Last November, Brown was swept out of office in the Red Tsunami that washed over the country. Political newcomer Bernie Moreno managed to boot Brown out of the Senate seat he had occupied since 2007. It was a massive relief to Republicans, who had unsuccessfully put up candidate after candidate—some of them halfway decent—only to see Brown trounce them every time, even though Ohio was becoming redder with every passing year.
It’s really astounding that Brown managed to stay in office as long as he did, considering that a Democrat hasn’t held a statewide office in Ohio since 2011, and Republicans have controlled the state Senate continuously since 1984 and the House since 2011. But Brown had built a reputation over the years as a blue-collar everyman—he literally wears button-down blue shirts everywhere he goes—and his schtick had won him the unconditional support of labor unions and middle-of-the-road Democrats who believed the progressive lawmaker was a moderate.
But his mask had begun to slip in recent years, as it became increasingly clear that he held very radical positions on everything from abortion to boys in girls’ locker rooms to the climate scam. Kamala Harris was a drag on Democrat elections across the country last year, and Brown went down in flames, despite doing everything he could to downplay his liberal positions and distance himself from Harris.
So Husted’s path to reelection should be a cakewalk, right?
Not necessarily. For starters, Brown only lost to Moreno by four points in a state where Trump won by 11. The election was way closer than it should have been. And 2026 is an off-year election, so Trump won’t be on the ballot, which will dampen turnout.
Second, Ohio conservatives really dislike Husted, and they really, REALLY dislike DeWine, who appointed Husted to fill the seat vacated by JD Vance. Husted’s appointment was seen as a way for DeWine to stick it to President Trump, with whom he has clashed over the years. Trump reportedly wanted the governor to appoint Vivek Ramaswamy, who is now running for governor. (Ohio has a long, storied tradition of candidates hopping from race to race and office to office.)
Husted, another career politician who has been in office since 2001, has aggravated conservatives over the years, which may depress turnout in the crucial race.
My friend Lori Viars, a pro-life activist in Ohio, responded on Facebook to news that Brown was entering the race, “Oh great. We have Republican Jon Husted who, as Speaker, banned praying in Jesus’ name in the Ohio House & killed pro-life efforts to stop state funding of embryonic stem cell research, vs. ultra-liberal Democrat Sherrod Brown who is horrible on nearly every issue.”
That’ll be the dilemma Ohio conservatives face when they go to the ballot box in 2026. Yes, most will vote for him over the uber-liberal Brown, but some won’t bother, and therein lies the danger.
That said, Trump has endorsed Husted, who is saying all the right things to appease MAGA voters. He’s hoping that support, plus his $3 million war chest, will scare off potential primary challengers.
“Should Brown enter the race as Schumer’s handpicked candidate he will be starting in the biggest hole of his political career,” Husted’s spokesman, Tyler Shepard, said in a statement. “He has never faced a candidate like Jon Husted. Brown’s slogans will ring hollow as his coalition walks away, tired of the radical polices he’s forced to support to appease his coastal bosses in California and New York.”
Thus far, no one has filed to run against Husted in the primary, but we’re still a long way out from the deadline to file.
In a February Bowling Green/YouGov poll, Husted led Brown by 6 points. That narrowed to 3 points in the same survey in April. Of course, any polls this early on are virtually meaningless because no one is thinking about 2026 at the moment.
At the end of the day, this comes down to DeWine sticking Ohio with a moderate senator. If we see the reascension of Sherrod Brown to office, we’ll have both DeWine and Husted to blame.
I realize it’s very early to start thinking about 2026, but the midterms will be upon us before we know it. We must keep control of the Senate, or the Trump agenda will be stopped in its tracks. Stay tuned to PJ Media for important coverage of pivotal races, like the one in Ohio. If you’d like to help us get our message out to more people, become a VIP member today. You’ll get lots of great perks for just $1.60 per month when you use the promo code FIGHT. Sign up here TODAY.
