Democrat Sherrod Brown has secured a return to the U.S. Senate, unseating Republican Jon Husted in Ohio's special election for the seat JD Vance vacated to become vice president. Brown, who previously served three terms in the Senate, won with 48.5 percent of the vote compared to Husted's 46.5 percent, with 90 percent of precincts reporting, according to the Associated Press.
This victory is a crucial gain for Democrats in their efforts to regain control of the Senate, as they needed to capture four seats to achieve a majority. Ohio was among the Republican-held seats targeted by the party.
Brown had previously lost to Republican Bernie Moreno in 2024. He now assumes the final two years of Vance's term, a seat Governor Mike DeWine had initially appointed Husted to fill. Vance had carried Ohio by approximately 11 points in 2024, and Donald Trump endorsed Husted, holding three rallies in the state in October.
The race was the most expensive of the 2026 general election cycle, with over $500 million spent on advertising. The crypto super PAC Fairshake was a notable spender, investing more than $45 million against Brown, a move seen by many as retaliatory after his past criticism of the industry during his tenure chairing the Senate Banking Committee. In 2024, Fairshake's network reportedly spent around $40 million supporting Moreno's successful campaign against Brown.
Brown and his allies focused their campaign attacks on Husted, highlighting the FirstEnergy bribery scandal involving a $61 million scheme that led to the imprisonment of former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder. Brown also criticized Husted for allegedly supporting tax incentives totaling $2.5 billion for data centers, branding him as "the face of data centers in Ohio."
Trump defended the data center industry at a rally and praised Husted's legislative efforts on the matter. Heading into Election Day, Brown held a narrow lead in polling averages, though a significant portion of voters mistakenly believed Husted was the incumbent.
In addition to Brown's win, Ohio Democrats saw another victory as Dr. Amy Acton decisively defeated Republican Vivek Ramaswamy for the governorship. Acton secured 50.7 percent of the vote compared to Ramaswamy's 46 percent, with 85 percent of results counted. Acton's win makes her the first woman and the first Jewish person to be elected governor of Ohio. Ramaswamy, a vocal supporter of JD Vance, was unable to secure the state for the GOP in a state that had previously leaned Republican under Trump.