Sherrod Brown seeks Ohio Senate seat in 2026 comeback bid

Former U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown is running to reclaim an Ohio seat in the U.S. Senate, as first reported by Politico. Brown, a Democrat, lost his 2024 reelection to Republican Bernie Moreno by fewer than 4 percentage points.

Brown is certified for the ballot in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election for the rest of an unexpired term, according to BallotReady election data. He faces Republican Jon Husted, Independent Greg Levy and Libertarian William B. Redpath.

Candidate information

Party: Democratic
Hometown: Mansfield, Ohio, according to his campaign website
Family: Married to Connie Schultz, according to his campaign's X account
Education: Bachelor's degree in Russian Studies, Yale University (1974); master's degree in education, The Ohio State University (1979); master's degree in public administration, The Ohio State University (1981), according to BallotReady

Experience and public service

Brown has held elected office in Ohio for decades. His public service record, according to BallotReady:

Ohio House of Representatives, District 61 (1975–1982)
Ohio Secretary of State (1983–1991)
U.S. House of Representatives, District 13 (1993–2007)
U.S. Senate (2006–2025)

Brown chaired the Senate Banking Committee from 2021 to 2025, according to Politico. He announced his 2026 campaign in August 2025.

On the issues

The following positions come from Brown's campaign website. They are the candidate's own statements.

Trade and jobs: Brown said he saw firsthand in Mansfield how corporations lobbied for tax breaks and trade deals that shipped Ohio jobs overseas. He said he opposed NAFTA and stood up to his own party to lead opposition against it.

Healthcare: Brown said he wants to ban health insurance companies from denying care a doctor prescribes and fine insurers who deny claims. He also called for making it illegal for drug companies to charge Americans more than they charge in other countries.

Utility costs and data centers: Brown said he wants to cap how much utility companies can raise rates. He said he is fighting to require data centers to pay the full cost of their utilities so residential bills do not increase.

Congressional ethics: Brown said no member of Congress, or their spouse, should be allowed to trade stocks. He said former members should not be allowed to become lobbyists.