Who Is Sherrod Brown?
In 2024, political headwinds in Ohio were too strong – Will the wind be at his back in 2026?
Democrat Sherrod Brown spent 48 out of the last 50 years in public office, first the House, then three consecutive terms in the Senate. He was always a populist, pro-union, and champion of blue collar workers. His slogan is “Dignity of Work,” reflecting his belief that honest labor deserves respect, fair practices, safety, and rights. Last year, he founded his non-profit Dignity of Work Institute to advocate for workers’ interests around the U.S.
In 2024, despite his successful Senate career, Brown lost his re-election bid to a Republican newcomer, Bernie Moreno. Brown is now attempting another Senate run, this time vying for JD Vance’s vacant seat. His Republican opponent, Jon Husted, was appointed by the Ohio Governor to fill Vance’s seat until the Nov 2026 election. If Brown wins the OH Democratic primary in May, as seems likely, he will run against Husted for Vance’s seat.
Why did Sherrod Brown lose in 2024?
Brown lost to Moreno by only 3.6 percentage points, roughly 200,000 votes. Many explanations for the defeat have been offered, but two stand out.
The first explanation concerns the 2024 Red Wave, which marked a hard shift to the right in OH. The Democratic Party had lost credibility with working class voters. Dissatisfaction began with Clinton’s ushering in of NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) in 1994. Many working class voters felt this agreement was an ongoing betrayal that threatened their livelihoods. Disillusionment with the Biden-Harris administration also played a role. So in 2024, many Democrats voted Republican, and large numbers did not vote at all. Unfortunately, despite his longstanding populist brand, Brown was unable to make up the voters that the Democratic Party had lost.
A second, and more sinister, explanation for Brown’s 2024 loss is dark money – obscene amounts of it. Until the Texas Senate primary this year (Cornyn and Talarico), the Brown-Moreno election was the most expensive Senate race in U.S. history. Almost a half billion dollars were spent, mostly by Brown’s chief adversary, the crypto industry, to defeat Brown and elect allies. As a Senator, Brown was a long-time and vocal critic of digital assets, which he felt could lead to fraud and financial losses for consumers. The industry responded by targeting him in the 2024 election. They supported Moreno with millions of dollars in ads, many of which were misleading or outright lies, according to fact checkers. But the lies polled well, and Brown lost the election.
After the election, the industry bragged openly that they had put Bernie Moreno in the Senate. But they had help from Trump, who was aligned with the crypto industry. To unseat Brown, Trump endorsed Moreno as his chosen nominee. Trump appeared in ads for Moreno, who then rode Trump’s coattails throughout the election.
What are Sherrod Brown’s chances in 2026?
Brown and Husted are currently in a statistical tie. There’s a growing sense that the 2024 Red Wave may morph into a Blue Wave in 2026. Sherrod Brown is a highly experienced campaigner and could position himself to take advantage of a Blue Wave to win back his seat. Plus Brown has modulated his views on cryptocurrency. The stars may yet align in his favor.
While Ohio is currently a red state, it was a swing state for many years – until 2020, when it supported Trump for a second term. As a manufacturing state, OH has had many non-college educated workers, and these increasingly tended to vote Republican. Also, as factories in Ohio continued to close, there was a shrinkage of organized labor, long a pillar of the Democratic Party. Subsequent disaffection with the Biden-Harris administration pushed Ohio’s working class voters further toward Trump and the Republicans,
However, in 2025-6, many of those same working class families have suffered economically under the Trump administration. This development may change the face of Ohio politics. Polls suggest that most Republicans still support Trump, but this is not a presidential election year, and it is unclear how far this support extends beyond him. Many voters blame their local members of Congress for a poor economy and their unpopular votes, which may lead to low 2026 election turnout for Republican candidates. Many Democrat voters, on the other hand, are highly energized and motivated to vote against the Republican Congress this year.
The combination of uninspired Republican voters and activated Democrat voters could create a Blue Wave in 2026, and there are hints already of this development. Recently Democrats have won state elections in deep red states, in districts captured by Trump in 2024. In the most recent upsets, two Florida Democrats won special elections in Mar-a-Lago and Tampa. Democrats have now flipped dozens of seats since Trump’s election, while Republicans have not flipped any.
What can we do to help?
The lessons from 2024 suggest that Sherrod Brown will need both campaign donations and a greatly increased Democrat turnout. Brown’s Senate run may be very costly, as he will likely be targeted again to some degree by the crypto industry. We can offset that with vigorous grass-roots donations for both the primary and general election. It is worth remembering that financial support should start early in the campaign year, as “early money” is much more valuable to a candidate than money obtained towards the end of the campaign. So it’s not too early to donate! Here is his website with a donation link: https://www.sherrodbrown.com/.
In addition to donation, grass-roots organizing and actions are needed to increase Democratic turnout. A major disappointment in 2024 was the very low turnout in Cuyahoga County and Cleveland, where Sherrod Brown lived. Our voters are much more energized now than two years ago. Be on the lookout for volunteer projects to help get out the vote in OH.
The Ohio primary is May 5, 2026.