Former Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown is projected to win his bid to return to the U.S. Senate, defeating Republican Sen. Jon Husted in Ohio just two years after losing his seat to Republican Sen. Bernie Moreno, the Fox News Decision Desk projects.
Brown’s victory marks a remarkable political comeback for the longtime Ohio Democrat, who served in the Senate from 2007 until 2025 before Moreno ousted him in one of the most closely watched races of the 2024 election.
The Democrat will return to Washington after defeating Husted in a special election to serve the remainder of the term originally won by Vice President JD Vance. Husted was appointed to the seat by Republican Gov. Mike DeWine in January 2025 after Vance resigned from the Senate to serve as President Donald Trump’s No. 2.
Brown previously represented Ohio in the U.S. House and served as the state’s secretary of state and a member of the Ohio House.
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The timing of Brown’s return to Washington will depend on when Ohio certifies the election and when he is formally sworn in. Brown could be sworn in during the lame-duck session, potentially changing the Senate’s voting math before the new Congress convenes.
The Ohio race was viewed as a key battleground because Democrats saw the state as one of their best opportunities to erode the GOP’s narrow Senate majority, while Republicans viewed Husted’s seat as critical to maintaining control of the chamber.
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Brown’s win came two years after he lost his Senate seat to Republican Sen. Bernie Moreno, as Ohio continued its shift toward the GOP in presidential elections. Former President Donald Trump carried the state by 11 percentage points in 2024, and Republicans argued that Brown’s return would amount to a restoration of the Democratic establishment that Ohio voters had rejected.
Brown sought to overcome those headwinds by emphasizing his record on manufacturing, organized labor, trade, consumer protections and economic issues. His campaign focused heavily on the cost of living, gas and diesel prices, health care and the impact of Republican policies on working-class Ohioans.
The candidates also clashed over data centers and energy costs. Brown criticized Husted’s role in supporting major economic development projects involving data centers, arguing that Ohio taxpayers and consumers could be left responsible for the infrastructure and energy demands associated with the facilities.
Husted defended the projects as a way to bring jobs and investment to Ohio. He also pointed to legislation aimed at preventing taxpayers from bearing the operating costs of large data centers which Democrats blocked in the Senate.
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Husted, a longtime figure in Ohio Republican politics, campaigned on his record as the state’s lieutenant governor, secretary of state and House speaker. He argued that Brown would return to Washington as a reliable vote for Senate Democrats and national party leaders.
Brown’s victory gives Democrats a huge boost in their bid to take back control of the United States Senate when the votes are all counted after Election Day.
