Biography

Sherrod Campbell Brown was born on November 9, 1952, in Mansfield, Ohio, where he grew up in a middle-class family, earned his Eagle Scout award, and spent summers working on his family's farm. He attended Yale University, graduating in 1974 with a bachelor's degree in Russian Studies, and later earned two master's degrees from The Ohio State University — in public administration and education.

Brown launched his political career that same year, becoming one of the youngest people ever elected to the Ohio House of Representatives. He later served as Ohio Secretary of State from 1983 to 1991, then won a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1992, where he served seven terms representing Ohio's 13th Congressional District. Throughout his House tenure, he built a reputation as a fierce opponent of trade deals he believed hurt American workers, voting against NAFTA and CAFTA.

In 2006, Brown was elected to the U.S. Senate, defeating Republican incumbent Mike DeWine. He was reelected in 2012 and 2018 — surviving two increasingly Republican wave elections in Ohio by running on an unapologetically pro-worker, anti-establishment platform that won over union members and blue-collar voters even as his party struggled statewide. He chaired the Senate Banking Committee from 2021 to 2025.

Brown lost his 2024 re-election bid to Republican Bernie Moreno by fewer than four points in what became one of the most expensive Senate races in history. In August 2025, he announced his candidacy to reclaim Ohio's other Senate seat, vacated when JD Vance left for the vice presidency. He is married to Connie Schultz, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author.

2026 Senate Campaign

Brown launched his 2026 comeback campaign in August 2025, declaring: 'I didn't plan to run for office again. But when I see what's going on, I know I can do something about it for Ohio.' He was heavily recruited by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who made two trips to Ohio to urge Brown to run.

He won the Democratic primary on May 5, 2026, defeating challenger Ron Kincaid, and now faces Republican Sen. Jon Husted — appointed by Gov. Mike DeWine to fill the seat vacated when JD Vance became Vice President. Whoever wins in 2026 will serve only the remainder of Vance's original term, meaning the winner must run again in 2028.

Brown is running on the same working-class populist platform that made him one of the last Democrats to win statewide in Ohio: fighting trade deals that ship jobs overseas, protecting Social Security and Medicare, taking on Wall Street and drug company price gouging, and restoring workers' right to organize. He has the backing of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee and Ohio labor organizations.

Workers & unions
Made in America
Lower drug prices
Protect Social Security
Wall Street reform
Fight for Ohio farmers

In the press