Overview

• Brown formally launched a comeback bid with a worker-focused message, citing recent tariffs and safety‑net cuts as reasons he returned to the race.
• Husted was appointed in January to the seat vacated by JD Vance’s elevation to the vice presidency and enters 2026 with President Trump’s endorsement.
• Nonpartisan forecasters shifted the race toward competitiveness, with Cook moving it from Likely Republican to Lean Republican and Sabato’s Crystal Ball and Inside Elections issuing similar ratings.
• The contest could shape control of a 53–47 Republican Senate, and the winner will serve the remainder of Vance’s term through January 2029.
• Both parties rapidly engaged: Democrats touted Brown’s record on workers after months of recruitment led by Chuck Schumer, while Republicans branded him a liberal and vowed an aggressive defense of the seat.