Senate Race: Sherrod Brown Defeats Jon Husted in Ohio Special Election

Former Senator Sherrod Brown defeated Republican Senator Jon Husted in a special election in Ohio on Tuesday. The win flips a key seat for Democrats in a state that had shifted sharply right in recent years. Brown secured the victory after a campaign that featured more than $500 million in total spending from both sides and their allies.

Brown attacked Husted's support for artificial intelligence data centers, his ties to a statehouse bribery scandal, and donations from billionaire Les Wexner. Wexner previously employed Jeffrey Epstein. Husted countered that Brown, who has served in politics for five decades, was out of touch and too liberal for Ohio. President Donald Trump visited Ohio multiple times to help Husted. Trump also promoted Husted's athletic physique, noting the former college football player's appearance.

In a statement on Tuesday night, Brown pledged to work for all Ohioans regardless of how they voted. "My pledge to all Ohioans, whether you voted for me or you didn't, is that I will always be on your side, always," Brown said. "I do not work for the utility companies. I do not work for data centers. I do not work for Wall Street. I work for you, I work for Ohio."

Husted delivered an emotional concession speech. He expressed hope for Ohio's future and urged Americans to fight for founding ideals. "America is a great nation. You should love it, and you should fight for our founding ideals that our rights belong fundamentally to us, not to government," Husted said. "And it's on all of us to make this country a better place."

Brown lost his original Senate seat to Bernie Moreno just two years ago. This special election allows Brown to serve the final two years of the term won by JD Vance in 2022. Husted had been appointed to replace Vance when he became vice president last year. Husted previously served as lieutenant governor, secretary of state, and state House speaker.

The AP Voter Poll found that about half of voters held a favorable view of Brown, while only about four in ten felt the same way about Husted. Most Ohio voters viewed Husted as too supportive of Trump. Less than half said Brown was too extreme. AP VoteCast data showed Brown won about 7 in 10 voters under 30, up from about half in 2024. He also won about two-thirds of moderates, an increase from about six in ten the previous cycle.

Trump's low approval ratings and the absence of his name on the ballot changed the dynamic compared to the 2024 race. Husted donated Wexner's contributions to an anti-sex trafficking charity, but Brown used the receipt to attack the Republican vote on releasing Epstein files. Husted ran ads noting he was seven when Brown entered politics and citing Brown's vote for the 2008 bank bailout. Brown's long tenure gave him strong name recognition, eliminating the need for biographical ads.

The next U.S. Senate race in Ohio is scheduled for two years from now.