Sen. Sherrod Brown is fighting for reelection in Ohio, facing a serious challenge from Republican Bernie Moreno as the GOP targets the long-held Senate seat.
Brown, 71, is the sole Democrat holding statewide office in Ohio and has been among the key targets for Republicans in the 2024 election as they look to build a majority in the Senate.
As one of two Democrats facing reelection this year in states former President Donald Trump won in 2020, the three-term incumbent and his Senate colleagues have expended significant effort to bolster his campaign in a race that became the most expensive of the cycle.
Brown’s opponent, Moreno, is a Trump-backed Republican who has embraced election denialism and won the nomination over more traditional conservatives in the state. The 57-year-old businessman, who was born in Colombia, campaigned on issues that the GOP has seized on nationally, like immigration and the economy, while painting his opponent as an establishment politician out of touch with Ohoians.
Moreno came under fire for legal troubles related to his automotive business, and sustained criticism over comments about abortion, when video footage of the candidate saying he doesn’t think abortion is “an issue” for women who are “past 50” circulated online. At the time, even former Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley expressed dismay, saying in a post on X, “Are you trying to lose the election?”
Brown hammered Moreno over abortion throughout the campaign, highlighting his openness to restrictions despite the state approving a measure safeguarding abortion access in 2023. And despite Brown’s progressive politics, he worked to highlight areas where he and Republican leaders overlap — like on cracking down on fentanyl.
Brown, who chairs the Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs in the Senate, has maintained a strong working-class brand in the state and has historically appealed to ticket-splitters. Weeks ahead of Election Day, even former Ohio Gov. Bob Taft, a Republican, threw his support behind Brown, calling him an “effective, experienced advocate in the U.S. Senate.”
“Senator Brown has held statewide offices representing Ohioans for 25 years,” Taft added. “He knows all of Ohio well and understands the concerns and challenges of people across our state.”
But the Democrat faced headwinds going into Election Day in the state that Trump won by 8 points in 2020. And in 2022, Sen. JD Vance — now Trump’s running mate — won his race against Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan to become Ohio’s junior senator.