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, a special election for the rest of an unexpired term.

Brown, a Democrat, launched 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 Republican Jon Husted, Independent Greg Levy and Libertarian William B. Redpath in the general election.

Candidate information

Party: Democratic
Office sought: U.S. Senate, Ohio
Hometown: Mansfield, Ohio, according to his campaign website
Family: Married to Connie Schultz, according to Brown'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)

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)

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

On the issues

Brown's policy positions below are stated on his campaign website. They represent the candidate's own claims.

Health care: Brown says he wants to ban health insurance companies from denying care prescribed by a doctor and fine insurers who deny claims. He also says he wants to make it illegal for drug companies to charge Americans more than they charge in other countries.

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

Congressional ethics: Brown says no member of Congress, or their spouse, should be allowed to trade stocks. He also says former members should not be allowed to become lobbyists.

Trade and jobs: Brown says he opposed unfair trade deals that shipped Ohio jobs overseas and led opposition against NAFTA.