Sherrod Brown Targets 4-Seat Senate Flip by Rebuilding Union Support in Ohio
Updated
Updated · The Washington Post · Sep 16
Sherrod Brown Targets 4-Seat Senate Flip by Rebuilding Union Support in Ohio
3 articles · Updated · The Washington Post · Sep 16
Summary
73-year-old Sherrod Brown is trying to reclaim Ohio’s Senate seat by winning back working-class voters he lost in 2024, a test that could shape Democrats’ bid to retake the chamber.
Most recent public polls show Brown ahead of Republican Sen. Jon Husted, including a Fox News survey that put Brown up 64%-33% in union households, which made up about 20% of Ohio’s electorate in 2024.
Union leaders in Mansfield and Lorain say some members who backed Bernie Moreno and Donald Trump two years ago now express economic frustration and “buyers’ remorse,” citing high gas prices and living costs.
Husted is contesting the same voters by arguing Brown failed workers over decades in office; several unions that once backed Brown have endorsed Husted, though most labor endorsements still favor Brown.
Ohio is central to the Senate map because Democrats need 4 seats for a majority, including at least 2 in Trump-won states such as Ohio, which Brown lost by less than 4 points in 2024.