Sherrod Campbell Brown, 71, is a veteran left-wing populist Democrat and Ohio native. Born November 9, 1952, in Mansfield, Ohio, he graduated from Yale University and Ohio State University. Brown served in the Ohio House (starting 1975), as Ohio Secretary of State (1983-1991), in the U.S. House representing Ohio's 13th district (1993-2007), and in the U.S. Senate (2007-2025). He chaired the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee and served on Finance, Veterans' Affairs, and Ethics committees. In 2024, Brown narrowly lost his re-election bid to Republican Bernie Moreno by 3.5 percentage points. In August 2025, after establishing the Dignity of Work Institute think tank and consulting with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Brown announced his comeback campaign.
Sherrod Campbell Brown was born November 9, 1952, in Mansfield, Ohio. He attended Yale University and Ohio State University. Brown started his political career in 1975 in the Ohio House. He served as Ohio Secretary of State (1983-1991), then in the U.S. House (1993-2007) representing Ohio's 13th district. He was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2006 and reelected in 2012 and 2018, serving 18 years. Brown chaired the Senate Banking Committee and was a leading voice for worker protections and fair trade. In 2024, he narrowly lost reelection to Bernie Moreno by 3.5 points. He married Connie Schultz in 2004; she is a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist and author who has been prominent in his campaigns. They live in Columbus with a blended family of four children and eight grandchildren. After leaving the Senate, Brown established the Dignity of Work Institute think tank before announcing his 2026 comeback campaign.
Staunch critic of free trade agreements; advocate for fair trade protecting U.S. workers
Opposed NAFTA, TPP, and other agreements Brown argues shipped jobs overseas. Frames manufacturing recovery as dependent on fair trade policy.
Expand ACA; protect Medicare and Social Security; lower drug prices
Refuses corporate health insurance until universal coverage achieved. Criticizes Republican votes against ACA subsidies.
Champion of unions and working families; strong labor protections
Core identity. Advocates prevailing wages, collective bargaining, worker protections. IBEW and other unions endorse.
Wall Street accountability; consumer protection
As Banking Committee Chair, secured worker pension protections in financial agreements. Advocates for strong bank regulation.
Support veterans; expand VA benefits for burn pit exposure and PTSD
Worked across party lines to secure care for veterans exposed to toxic burn pits
Fight special interests and corrupt influence in politics
Core message: taking on lobbying power of oil, pharma, Wall Street. Advocates for campaign finance reform.
Sherrod Brown served 18 years in the U.S. Senate (2007-2025) and 14 years in the House (1993-2007). He was widely recognized as a champion for workers and the middle class. Brown voted with the Democratic Party 95.5% of the time during his Senate tenure, ranking 24th among 52 Democratic senators as of 2013. He was Chair of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee and served on Finance, Veterans' Affairs, and Ethics committees. His legislative record emphasizes worker protections, trade fairness, and financial regulation.
| Bill | Title | Vote | Date | Significance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Social Security Fairness Act | Eliminated Government Pension Offset and Windfall Elimination Provision | Yea (sponsor) | 2025-01-17 | Brown's last Senate vote, helping 150,000 public retirees receive full Social Security benefits. Demonstrates commitment to protecting retirement security. |
| Butch Lewis Act | Pension rescue legislation | Yea (key supporter) | 2019 | Critical to multiemployer pension solvency; Brown was co-chair of pension solvency committee |
| Protecting the Right to Organize Act | Labor union protections | Yea (co-sponsor) | 2019-2025 | Core labor legislation championed by Brown throughout tenure |
| Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act | Prevailing wage requirements and clean energy investments | Yea (key supporter) | 2021 | Brown pushed for and secured prevailing wage requirements and manufacturing investments for Ohio |
| Inflation Reduction Act | Drug price negotiation and clean energy manufacturing | Yea | 2022 | Brown key supporter of clean energy manufacturing provisions and drug price negotiation |
Brown 'imposed Washington problems on Ohio for 30 years, pushing radical liberal policies' and 'created health care problems'
Husted frames Brown as Washington insider, though Brown has spent entire career opposing Washington consensus on trade and manufacturing. Health care criticism ignores Brown's role fighting for ACA expansion.
Brown represents return to 'the days of Sherrod Brown and Joe Biden and Kamala Harris'
Republicans linking Brown to unpopular Biden administration, though Brown was often critical of Biden's trade policy compromises