It was widely believed that Brown would be running for governor of Ohio, but was lobbied by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., to instead take on Husted as Democrats will battle to take back control of the Senate in next year's midterm elections.

Now that Sherrod Brown, the state’s most prominent Democrat, has decided he will run next year to return to the U.S. Senate, the 2026 elections are beginning to take shape. Brown said Monday that he’s focused on beating incumbent Jon Husted (R-OH), Ohio’s former lieutenant governor, to head back to D.C.

The Ohio Democrat, who lost his reelection bid in 2024, slammed Donald Trump's so-called Big Beautiful Bill in a campaign launch video on Monday.