Greetings all. Sherrod Brown dropped by this morning to provide our community with an update on his campaign to unseat Senator Jon Husted and help us take back the Senate. You can find a video and transcript of our discussion, above. It’s a great discussion, and I am excited to be able to share with you. Get to it when you can.
Getting Sherrod Brown to run again was one of Leader Schumer’s biggest recruitment successes this cycle. While he lost in 2024, Brown outperformed Vice President Harris by almost 8 points in Ohio, losing by just 3.6 points, 50.1%-46.5% to Harris’s 55.1%-43.9% (-11.2). Brown has been elected to the U.S Senate three times, and is the only Democrat to win races for Senate or Governor in Ohio in the last 18 years. The last time Brown won, in 2018, he won by almost 7 points, 53.4%-46.6%. Note how much better he has done in non-Presidential years:
Current polling has the Senate race, and the Acton-Ramaswamy race for Governor, close, within margin of error. Here’s the summary of a new poll from Bowling Green State University:
While Donald Trump has won the state handily three times, we see a lot of trouble brewing for him and his policies in the state. He has had a negative approval rating for a year now, and many of his policies are not popular. That about 15% of his voters now regret their vote to some degree suggests his grip on the state is not absolute.
Every sign is pointing to close races for governor and U.S. Senate in Ohio. President Trump is generally unpopular, Democrats are far more enthusiastic, and the economy is a major concern for voters. Taken together, this midterm likely provides the best opportunity for Democrats to win statewide offices in 20 years.
As a sign of how worried the Republicans are about losing to Brown we’ve learned their Senate SuperPAC has committed more money to Ohio than other battleground state:
In our discussion you will hear from Brown what we’ve heard from so many other candidate in recent weeks - his opponent’s embrace of destructive Trump policies that have done so much harm to working Ohioans - the tariffs, cuts to health care, the war - has put Husted on the wrong side of all the issues that matter to voters this year. You will also hear Brown talk about what may be an unprecedented opportunity for us in farm country, as the tariffs, loss of markets, rising diesel and fertilizer costs have pummeled farmers across Ohio, leaving them far more open to engage with Democrats than in years past.
Hopium has launched a Winning Ohio campaign that splits contributions evenly among Brown for Senate, Acton-Pepper for Governor and Lt. Gov, and the Democratic Party of Ohio. You can donate to our Winning Ohio campaign here, and be sure to watch our new interviews with Lt. Gov candidate David Pepper and Ohio Dem Chair Kathleen Clyde to do even deeper dive on our opportunities in Ohio this year. We’ve raised $125,000 toward our June 30th fundraising goal of $250,000 - please consider chipping in today!
Enjoy this discussion with someone who knows how to win in red states and red places, the most successful Democratic politician in Ohio over the past several decades, a true giant of the Senate, the great Sherrod Brown!
Keep working hard all. We have a country to save, and an election to win, together! - Simon
Bio - Former Sen. Sherrod Brown, candidate for U.S. Senate in Ohio
Sherrod Brown has always been a relentless fighter for the people of Ohio.
Born and raised in Mansfield, Sherrod saw firsthand how corporations lobbied for tax breaks and bad trade agreements that shipped Ohio jobs overseas. That’s why he’s always opposed unfair trade deals that hurt Ohio workers.
A tireless advocate in standing up for the dignity of work, Sherrod has never stopped fighting for Ohio families and workers across the country–and time and again he’s delivered results. When Wall Street banks gambled away workers’ hard-earned pensions, Sherrod led the charge to make sure over 100,000 Ohioans got the retirement they were owed. When the drug companies jacked up prices, Brown successfully fought to cap the cost of insulin and reduce the price of other prescription drugs for Ohio seniors. When millions of veterans returning from war who were exposed to highly toxic burn pits were being turned away by the VA as they suffered from severe illnesses like cancer and lung disease, Sherrod worked with Republicans to get them the care they deserved.
And because of Sherrod Brown, over 2 million former teachers, bus drivers, police officers, firefighters, and other workers are now receiving their full Social Security payments that previously were withheld by the federal government.
Called “a champion for workers and the middle class” who “has advocated for Ohio and for ordinary people” Sherrod Brown “has fought for affordable health care, fair wages, worker pensions and consumer protections.”
Sherrod believes too many people think of politics as left or right, but to him it’s all about whose side you’re on, and who you are fighting for.
With all the craziness coming out of Washington, including giving massive tax breaks to corporations and billionaires at the expense of hardworking Ohioans, Sherrod knows he has the ability to do something about it, and that’s why he’s running for Senate.
Sherrod lives in Columbus with his wife Connie Schultz, a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist and author. Sherrod and Connie drive Jeeps made by union workers in Toledo, and are blessed with a growing family, including three daughters, a son, eight grandchildren, and their beloved rescue dogs, Franklin and Walter.
