BURSTThe nonpartisan Cook Political Report moved its rating of Ohio’s Senate race from likely Republican to lean Republican following former Sen. Sherrod Brown’s (R-Ohio) entrance into next year’s Senate race.
The former senator launched his comeback Senate bid on Monday, pitting himself against Sen. John Husted (R-Ohio). Husted was appointed by Gov. Mike DeWine (R) earlier this year after Vice President Vance vacated the seat to join the Trump administration.
Brown, who served three terms in the Senate, lost reelection in November against Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) by roughly 3.5 points. He was the last statewide elected Democrat in Ohio.
“Brown’s entrance certainly puts the Ohio Senate special election on the competitive map, and it’s doubtful that any other Democrat would have made this a real race,” wrote Jessica Taylor, Senate and governors editor at the Cook Political Report. “But Husted still starts as a slight favorite in a state that’s been moving toward the right. We are shifting our rating from Likely to Lean Republican.”
Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chair Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) struck an optimistic tone in her statement following Brown’s campaign launch, citing his record on Social Security, the opioid epidemic, and other issues impacting the working class.
“In the Senate, Sherrod will stand up to the chaos, recklessness and rising prices hurting working families and make sure Ohioans have the champion they deserve,” Gillibrand said.
The National Republican Senatorial Committee ripped Brown as a “sellout” and “radical” in their own statement responding to news of his run.
“Rather than standing up for Ohio, he spent his time in office fighting for the left,” the statement read. “He backed higher taxes, sold out union workers, supported open borders, & even pushed sex-change surgeries for kids. Ohio deserves better.”