Jon Gruden Appears at Ohio Trump Rally, Stumps for Senate Candidate Husted
The former NFL coach made a surprise appearance to support Jon Husted, who faces a challenging race against Sherrod Brown.
Former NFL coach Jon Gruden made a surprise appearance at a Republican rally in Vandalia, Ohio, where he spoke in support of incumbent junior senator Jon Husted, ahead of an appearance by President Donald Trump.
Gruden, a Super Bowl winner, addressed the crowd at Butler High School, emphasizing his Ohio roots and Husted's qualifications.
"I came back for one reason," Gruden told the attendees. "I'm from Ohio. My mom and dad are from Cleveland. I was born in Sandusky and I went to the University of Dayton and I'm damn proud of it, man!"
He lauded Husted, a former high school football player, for his work ethic and mental toughness, stating, "He will never quit on you or anybody."
President Trump, who has known Gruden for several years, acknowledged the former coach's presence. "We even have one of my favorite coaches in the whole world here, Jon Gruden," Trump said. "He's a great coach and he's a very good golfer too. We had a great time. He's a great winner. He's a winner."
Gruden urged the audience to vote for Husted and to encourage others to do the same, noting that early voting would begin soon. "Before you know it, this election is over," Gruden said. "But what we got to do is we got to do our part. Early voting starts Tuesday. Can we be there or not? Let's be there! And I know you guys got a lot more friends than I do. Get your friends and get their friends and their friends and let's get Husted back in action! Let's go! Let's go!"
Husted, a lifelong conservative, is challenging Democrat Sherrod Brown in a key U.S. Senate race. Recent polls indicate Brown holds a slight lead over Husted, typically by 3 to 4 percent.
While Gruden largely refrained from public political statements during his coaching career and his time at ESPN, his conservative political beliefs have become more known in recent years. Leaked emails from 2018 surfaced in 2021, revealing critical comments about Democratic politicians and controversial remarks. Gruden subsequently resigned as the Raiders' coach. He later sued the NFL and Commissioner Roger Goodell, alleging the league leaked the emails, a claim the league denies. A jury trial is scheduled for May 2027.
Ohio Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy was also present at the rally.
