Overview
- Media projections late Tuesday showed Democrat Sherrod Brown defeating appointed Republican incumbent Jon Husted in the special election for the remainder of JD Vance’s term.
- Husted had been appointed by Governor Mike DeWine in January 2025 after Vance became vice president, and the winner will serve through January 3, 2029.
- The campaign was heavily nationalized with large outside spending, high-profile surrogates and contrast ads, and both parties poured money and attention into the closing weeks.
- President Donald Trump campaigned for Husted while former President Barack Obama appeared in ads for Brown, and some Republican strategists said a controversial attack ad in the governor’s race may have hurt the GOP ticket.
- Brown’s victory narrows the gap to a Democratic Senate majority and shifts post-election calculations, with attention now on how many additional seats Democrats can pick up to control the chamber.