Sherrod Brown's 1971 letter argued against releasing Vietnam War POWs, podcast hosts reveal

The Ruthless Podcast hosts surfaced a striking letter to the editor from Ohio Democratic Senate nominee Sherrod Brown arguing against releasing the American Prisoners of War (POWs) during the Vietnam War.

"When you think of this disease that’s infected the Democratic Party, you think about [Michigan Democratic Senate Nominee Abdul] El Sayed," podcast co-host Michael Duncan said. "You think of [New York Democratic congressional Darializa Avila] Chevalier, who said she's basically against Western civilization. But Sherrod Brown's been on this his entire career."

In the summer of 1971, Brown wrote a letter to the editor published in the News-Journal. The longtime politician, who first ran for office over fifty years ago, asked if the North Vietnamese "released our POWs, what would stop the U.S. from bombing Hanoi and Haiphong?"

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Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Sherrod Brown speaks with reporters after casting his ballot at the Franklin County Board of Elections on Oct. 6, 2026 in Columbus, Ohio. (Jeff Dean/Getty Images)

Brown’s left-wing writings made headlines in 2015 when BuzzFeed reported that the teenager wrote that the Nixon administration was turning the country into a "fascist police-state."

Fox News Digital reached out to the Brown campaign for comment and hasn’t received any response.

Podcast co-host Comfortably Smug, a noted fan of President Richard Nixon, asserted that it is emotional seeing the footage of President Richard Nixon meeting with the POWs when they returned stateside.

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"There's incredible footage, I invite everyone to go see, of when President Nixon brought these POWs home," Smug said. "You hear stories of what it meant to those families to get their loved ones back who were being tortured. You have this guy who is currently running for Senate in this day and age who wrote, he hopes American POWs do not return from being tortured. How is he on the ballot?"

With Republicans holding a 53-47 advantage over Democrats in the Senate, Democrats view Ohio as a prime pickup opportunity en route to flipping the chamber.

Fox News has classified Brown’s showdown with incumbent Senator Jon Husted as a "toss-up."

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Senator Sherrod Brown, a Democrat from Ohio, during a campaign event at the Steubenville City Building in Steubenville, Ohio, US, on Friday, Oct. 11, 2024. (Justin Merriman/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

While critics may dismiss the discovery of these op-eds as being outdated or another example of political rhetoric during campaign season, podcast co-host John Ashbrook noted how it suggests where Brown’s sympathies lie.

"If you live in the state of Ohio, or you're a political junkie like us, you've heard it said over and over again, ‘Oh, Sherrod Brown is a crazy lefty,’" Cincinnati native John Ashbrook said. "It's sort of dismissed. He's a lefty, and nobody ever fills in the gaps. Well, I think this piece that he wrote in the 70s sort of explains why a lot of people were like maybe he is sort of sympathetic to the communists."

Brown previously served three terms in the U.S. Senate representing Ohio from 2007 to 2025.

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The "Ruthless" podcast has covered the midterms extensively over the past year. The hosts have interviewed candidates in 19 states as part of the Ruthless Midterm Interview Series.