Democrat Sherrod Brown defeated Republican Sen. Jon Husted in Ohio's special U.S. Senate election, the Associated Press projected at 11:11 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 3.

Brown, 73, will return to the Senate seat he held for 18 years before losing to Republican Bernie Moreno in 2024. The win came in a race that drew more than $500 million in advertising spending and reservations, according to political advertising analytics company AdImpact, as first reported by NBC4.

Hamilton County voters backed Brown by a wide margin. Unofficial results from the county Board of Elections, with 312 of 563 precincts reporting as of 9:54 p.m., showed Brown receiving 153,322 votes (63.59%) to Husted's 78,657 (32.62%). Libertarian William B. Redpath and independent Greg Levy each received fewer than 4,600 votes locally.

Early voting was heavy across the area. More than 77,000 Hamilton County voters cast ballots in person before Election Day, a record for a midterm election, according to the county's elections director, WKRC reported.

A nationalized race

The Nov. 3 special election was triggered after Republican JD Vance resigned his Senate seat to become vice president in January 2025. Gov. Mike DeWine appointed Husted, then Ohio's lieutenant governor, to fill the vacancy. Brown will serve the remaining two years of Vance's term, which expires in January 2029. The seat returns to the ballot in 2028 for a full six-year term.

The Ohio Capital Journal reported that the AP call came during what appeared to be a strong night for Democrats amid voter frustration with President Donald Trump.

Lee Hannah, a political scientist at Wright State University, told the Ohio Capital Journal that Brown's gains appeared concentrated in suburban counties and cities rather than rural areas.

Affordability and data centers drove the debate

The campaigns clashed over kitchen-table costs. Brown focused on prescription drug prices, utility bills and data center tax incentives. He accused Husted of promoting data center development as lieutenant governor while ratepayers absorbed higher electricity costs.

Husted emphasized his economic development record and support for the administration's tax cuts, including provisions eliminating federal income taxes on certain tips and overtime earnings. He introduced the Ratepayer Protection Act, which would have required state utility commissions to consider strategies making data centers pay for their own energy use, according to 10TV. The bill passed the House but not the Senate.

Big spending defined the contest

Brown's campaign reported $68.4 million in receipts through Oct. 14, compared with $19.9 million for Husted's campaign, according to NBC4. Republican outside groups spent tens of millions opposing Brown.

The cryptocurrency industry spent about $54 million supporting Husted, Spectrum News 1 reported, topping the $40 million it spent in 2024 to help defeat Brown. Elon Musk funneled more than $7 million to independent groups seeking to help Husted, the Ohio Capital Journal reported in October.

Hamilton County's final unofficial results and precinct-level data for Anderson Township, Mariemont and Terrace Park are expected once all 563 precincts finish reporting.