Sherrod Brown wins Ohio Senate race, flipping seat for Democrats

Washington — Former Ohio Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown will be returning to the Senate, defeating Sen. Jon Husted, CBS News projects. Brown flipped the seat for Democrats two years after he lost his reelection bid in the Buckeye State. 

Brown, 73, lost narrowly in 2024 to GOP Sen. Bernie Moreno after more than three decades representing Ohio in the House and Senate. Democrats saw a path to victory in the state this year, since President Trump's popularity has been waning because of the Iran war and high fuel and cost-of-living prices. Brown fell short by just four points two years ago, and Mr. Trump won Ohio by more than 10 points.           

Brown faced off against Husted, who was appointed to the seat last year to replace Vice President JD Vance. Husted, 59, previously served as Ohio's lieutenant governor and secretary of state. He was defending the seat for the first time this cycle, and remained a relative unknown in the race. 

While Brown maintained a strong working-class brand in the state, Republicans attempted to use Brown's long history in Washington to frame him as the incumbent in the race. But Brown railed against Husted on AI data centers and energy costs, in what became a defining issue in the race, framing him as "the face of data centers." 

The projected victory comes as no senator since 1988 has made a successful comeback bid to the upper chamber after losing reelection, and marks a major flip for Democrats as they seek to win control of the Senate. 

And while Republicans were confident about their chances heading into the midterms, competitive races have opened up in several states that Mr. Trump won by double digits in 2024. Among those states the president won handily last cycle, Ohio represented the easiest pickup for Democrats, with smaller margins than Iowa, Kansas and Alaska. But heading into election night, those states also appeared to be in play for Democrats.