Sherrod Brown (D) Defeats Jon Husted (R) in Ohio Senate Race

Former Sen. Sherrod Brown, a 73-year-old Democrat who lost his 2024 reelection bid to Bernie Moreno, defeated Republican Sen. Jon Husted on Tuesday to win Ohio's Senate special election.

Republican Jon Husted, then Ohio's lieutenant governor, was appointed to the seat by Gov. Mike DeWine in 2025 after JD Vance became vice president, and was defending it for the first time. Brown is finishing the remaining two years of the term JD Vance secured in 2022.

Trump's tariffs and trade conflict with Canada, along with the Iran war that drove up fuel costs, opened a new chance for Brown among rural and working-class voters. Brown also criticized Husted on AI data centers and energy costs.

Brown portrayed Husted as a steadfast Trump supporter who backed the Iran war and first voted against releasing the Jeffrey Epstein files. Husted had sought Senate passage of the Ratepayer Protection Act weeks before the election.

Trump campaigned twice in nine days for Husted but did not succeed. Brown benefited from strong name recognition built over a long political career.

The win brings Democrats closer to regaining control of the Senate.

Analysts had declared an end to Ohio's bellwether status after the state swung strongly toward Republicans. The win cements Brown as the most successful Democrat in Ohio over the last three decades.

Verified Facts

Sherrod Brown defeated Jon Husted in the Ohio Senate race on Tuesday. (PBS NewsHour, Bloomberg News, New York Post, CBS News, NBC News, The Guardian)
Husted argued that Brown was out of date and too liberal for Ohio voters. (PBS NewsHour)
Trump became fixated on Husted's athletic physique late in the campaign. (PBS NewsHour)
Brown now serves out the final two years of the Senate term won by JD Vance in 2022. (PBS NewsHour, NBC News)
Husted was appointed to replace Vance when he ascended to the vice presidency last year. (PBS NewsHour, CBS News, NBC News, The Guardian)
Brown's victory could reshape Democrats' perspective on Ohio. (PBS NewsHour)
The president's tariffs, trade war with Canada and the war with Iran that sent fuel prices soaring gave Brown a fresh opening with rural and working-class voters. (PBS NewsHour)
Brown's victory could be a tough blow to JD Vance's presidential ambitions. (New York Post)
Trump went viral campaigning for Husted and remarking about his great ass. (New York Post)
Brown railed against Husted on AI data centers and energy costs, framing him as the face of data centers. (CBS News)
Brown tried to characterize Husted as an unflinching Trump loyalist who supported the Iran war and initially voted against the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files. (NBC News)
Husted sought Senate passage of the Ratepayer Protection Act weeks before the election. (The Guardian)
Analysts declared an end to Ohio's traditional bellwether status after the state's electorate swung strongly toward Republicans. (PBS NewsHour)
Trump stumped for Husted without success. (PBS NewsHour)
Brown had strong name recognition as a key upside from his longevity in politics. (PBS NewsHour)
Husted had to air a variety of positive biographical ads to identify himself to voters. (PBS NewsHour)
Brown is a three-term Senate veteran. (Bloomberg News)
Democrats saw a path to victory in Ohio this year because President Trump's popularity has been waning because of the Iran war and high fuel and cost-of-living prices. (CBS News)
Husted was defending the seat for the first time this cycle and remained a relative unknown in the race. (CBS News)
The win cements Brown, 73, as the most successful Democrat in Ohio over the last three decades. (NBC News)
Trump mounted a vigorous defense to keep Husted in the seat, rallying with him in the state twice in nine days. (NBC News)
Brown's victory brings the Democrats closer to regaining control of the Senate. (The Guardian)
In the two years he spent in the Senate, Husted adhered closely to Trump's policies, rarely breaking with him even as the president's approval ratings cratered amid voter dissatisfaction with the war with Iran, rising prices and Trump's aggressive immigration policies. (The Guardian)
Ohio's Republican governor appointed Husted, then the state's lieutenant governor, to the Senate after Vance became vice-president. (The Guardian)