Is Former Sen. Sherrod Brown Looking for a Political Comeback?

Last November, Republican Bernie Moreno beat incumbent Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat. The win helped the GOP take back control of U.S. Senate. We may not have heard the last of Brown, though, as there’s been chatter he’ll run for the Senate once more. He has the chance to do so next year.

Moreno isn’t up for reelection until 2030, but Republican Sen. Jon Husted, who was appointed to replace now Vice President JD Vance, must run in 2026 and 2028. Brown, who served for three terms, may be Democrats’ best hope.

Earlier this week, Axios put out a “scoop” that Brown met with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., as Brown reportedly considers a Senate run. There’s also the possibility he’ll run for governor next year, the report mentioned, citing “sources familiar with [Brown’s] thinking.” Dr. Amy Acton has entered the Democrat primary, while businessman Vivek Ramaswamy is the leading Republican contender.

Axios mentioned how “Schumer has lobbied Brown for months to run,” and how Brown “is likely his party’s best chance at running a competitive 2026 campaign in the state.” It also referred to former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper’s entrance into the race for the open U.S. Senate seat there as “a major recruiting victory” for the party.

While midterm elections tend to be tough for the president’s party, in this case President Donald Trump and narrow Republican majorities in the House and Senate, Axios pointed out how “Schumer has limited pickup opportunities in the Senate next year.”

Will Brown’s entrance into the race, should he choose that path, change Republican chances to hold onto the seat? Cook Political Report currently considers the U.S. Senate race for Ohio to be “Likely Republican,” and time will tell if that changes with a Brown-Husted race. “While party insiders see Ohio as a stretch target for Democrats, Brown’s entrance would instantly shift those dynamics,” the Axios report mentioned.

Ohio primaries will take place on May 5, 2026, with a filing deadline of Feb. 4 of that year.

When reached for comment, Husted’s campaign provided The Daily Signal with a statement from communications director Tyson Shepard.

“Senator Husted has earned the trust of Ohioans through his strong record of proven commonsense leadership,” Shepard said. “We don’t waste time on who the Democrats might nominate. We will run our campaign and win.”

Husted has received hopeful coverage about his state in the race from NBC News, which last week profiled Republican unity around Husted and Sen. Ashley Moody, R-Fla., in their 2026 elections with neither facing a primary challenge. Husted has also touted his impressive fundraising numbers.

Ohio is increasingly regarded as a red state. Trump won the state in 2016, 2020, and 2024, after former President Barack Obama won in both 2008 and 2012. While Brown won reelection in 2018 by close to 7 percentage points, Moreno managed to beat him by 3.6 percentage points in what had been expected to be a toss-up race last year.

If Brown were somehow able to pull off a win to serve in the U.S. Senate once more, or as governor, this could call into question Ohio’s red state status, as well as highlight any potential influence that Brown still commands in the Buckeye State.

In addition to Cooper providing a pick-up opportunity in North Carolina, there’s a sense of hope about Gov. Janet Mills, D-Maine, challenging Republican Sen. Susan Collins. Mills is one of the least popular governors in the country, according to polling from Morning Consult. Although Collins was considered vulnerable in 2020, she still won reelection, exceeding expectations when she defeated Democrat Sara Gideon by 8.6 percentage points.

The U.S. Senate race for North Carolina is considered a “Toss-Up” while the one for Maine is considered “Lean Republican.” Other races to watch include the “Toss-Up” races in Michigan’s open seat and in Georgia, where Democrat Sen. Jon Ossoff is up for reelection.

The Daily Signal reached out to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and Brown’s Dignity of Work for comment about the race.

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