Sherrod Brown seeks Ohio Senate seat in 2026 comeback bid

Former U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown is running to reclaim Ohio's U.S. Senate seat in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election. The Democrat faces Republican Jon Husted, Independent Greg Levy and Libertarian William B. Redpath in a race for the rest of an unexpired term.

Brown launched his campaign in August 2025, as Politico first reported. He lost his Senate seat in 2024 to Republican Bernie Moreno by fewer than 4 percentage points. BallotReady lists Brown as certified for the ballot.

Candidate information

Party: Democratic
Born and raised in Mansfield, Ohio, according to his campaign website
Family: Married to Connie Schultz; describes himself as a grandfather, father and husband, 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, 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)

He chaired the Senate Banking Committee from 2021 to 2025, according to Politico.

On the issues

Brown's campaign issues page outlines several policy priorities. All positions below are the candidate's own statements.

Healthcare: Brown says he wants to ban health insurance companies from denying care prescribed by a doctor and fine companies that deny claims. He also says he wants to make it illegal for drug companies to charge Americans more than customers in other countries pay for the same medication.

Utility costs and energy: Brown says he is fighting to cap how much utility companies can raise rates. He also says he wants to require data centers to pay the full cost of their utilities so residential bills do not increase, and that communities should decide whether data centers are built locally.

Trade and jobs: Brown says he saw corporations lobby for tax breaks and trade deals that shipped Ohio jobs overseas while growing up in Mansfield. He says he opposed NAFTA and has fought unfair trade deals throughout his career.

Congressional ethics: On his campaign issues page, Brown writes: "No one – NO ONE – who serves in Congress, or their spouse, should be able to trade stocks." He also says former members should not be allowed to become lobbyists.