Sherrod Brown seeks Ohio Senate seat in 2026

Former U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown is running to reclaim Ohio's U.S. Senate seat in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election. The race is for the rest of an unexpired term.

Brown, a Democrat, announced his campaign in August 2025, according to Politico. He lost his Senate seat in 2024 to Republican Bernie Moreno by fewer than 4 percentage points.

He faces three opponents. Republican Jon Husted, Independent Greg Levy and Libertarian William B. Redpath are also on the ballot.

Candidate information

Party: Democratic
Hometown: Mansfield, Ohio, according to his campaign website
Family: Married to Connie Schultz, according to his X account
Education: High school diploma, Mansfield Senior High School (1970); bachelor's in Russian studies, Yale University (1974); master's in education, The Ohio State University (1979); master's in public administration, The Ohio State University (1981)

Experience and public service

Brown has held elected office in Ohio for decades, according to BallotReady profile data:

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.

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 the opposition against it.

Healthcare: Brown said he wants to ban health insurance companies from denying care a doctor prescribes and fine companies that 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 is fighting to cap how much utility companies can raise rates. He also said he wants 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 also said former members should not be allowed to become lobbyists.