Sherrod Brown

Brown was born on November 9, 1952, in Mansfield, Ohio, the son of Emily and Dr. Charles Gailey Brown; his campaign says he was born and raised there. He earned a bachelor's degree in Russian studies from Yale University in 1974, and later master's degrees in education (1981) and in public administration from Ohio State University.[2][3][6] He taught at Ohio State University's Mansfield campus from 1979 to 1981, and served as a state representative in the Ohio House from 1975 to 1982; elected while still in college, he was the youngest person elected to that body.[2][6]

Brown was elected Ohio Secretary of State in 1982 and re-elected in 1986, serving from 1983 to 1991; he lost a 1990 re-election bid to Republican Bob Taft. He then won the open seat for Ohio's 13th Congressional District in 1992 and served in the U.S. House from 1993 to 2007.[2][6] In 2006 he was elected to the U.S. Senate, defeating incumbent Mike DeWine, and he won re-election in 2012, defeating Josh Mandel, and in 2018, defeating Jim Renacci.[2] He was the ranking Democrat on the Banking Committee from 2015 and chaired the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs from 2021 to 2025; he also served on the Finance, Agriculture, and Veterans' Affairs committees.[6] He lost his 2024 re-election bid to Bernie Moreno, 50.1% to 46.5%.[1] After leaving office he was a Spring 2025 visiting fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School and launched the Dignity of Work Institute, and on August 18, 2025, he announced his candidacy for the 2026 special election.[1][6]

Brown ran in the special election for the remaining two years of the term J.D. Vance won in 2022, against Republican Sen. Jon Husted, who was appointed to the seat in January 2025.[1] According to his campaign website, he lives in Columbus with his wife, Connie Schultz, a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist and author; they have three daughters, a son and eight grandchildren.[3] During the campaign, he emphasized his record of fighting for Ohio workers and the dignity of work.[3] He won the November 3, 2026 special election with 50% of the vote to Jon Husted's 45.2%, according to unofficial results reported by NBC News.[4]