Sherrod Brown has won the Ohio Senate seat, returning to the upper chamber after an 18-year tenure and a four-point loss in 2024. Brown defeated Republican Sen. Jon Husted, who was appointed to fill the term of Vice President JD Vance.
With 85% of the votes counted, Brown held 48.4% compared to Husted's 46.7%, according to the Associated Press. Former President Barack Obama had campaigned for Brown, as did Democratic gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton. Brown, who has consistently positioned himself as a champion of the middle class, argued that Husted was too closely aligned with billionaires and elites.
"Peter Thiel, Elon Musk, Donald Trump, these three gentlemen, shall we call them, and others, have poured hundreds of millions into this race," Brown stated. Obama echoed this sentiment at a rally, noting, "This is not a guy who enriched himself cozying up to corporations. He’s still wearing the same suit he was in when I met him 20 years ago."
The race, which saw $270 million in outside spending alone—more than any other Senate race except Texas—ultimately cost $477 million when including party expenditures, according to AdImpact. The outcome could impact Vice President JD Vance's presidential ambitions, as Brown's victory in Vance's home state represents a significant Democratic gain in territory that had been trending Republican.
President Trump had actively campaigned for Husted, making viral remarks about the Republican senator's physique and stating he had "saved his a--" on the campaign trail. Despite this support, the seat remained in Democratic hands.