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Democrat Sherrod Brown defeats Republican Sen. Jon Husted in Ohio Senate race

Brown, who lost his seat to Bernie Moreno in 2024, will serve the rest of a term that ends in January 2029.

18 news outlets reported this
Liberal7 outletsHusted's defeat and the Trump-era issues behind itCenter3 outletsBrown's comeback and the path to Senate controlConservative8 outletsDecision Desk tallies, endorsements and Vance's home state
Published 4 min read
Overview

Democrat Sherrod Brown won Ohio's special U.S. election on Tuesday, Nov. 3, defeating Republican Sen. Jon Husted. Brown, a three-term former senator, lost to Republican Bernie Moreno in 2024. Republican Gov. Mike DeWine appointed Husted in January 2025 to fill the seat JD Vance left when he became vice president.

Brown will serve the rest of that term, which ends in January 2029. With 85% of the vote counted, the Associated Press had Brown at 48.4% and Husted at 46.7%, according to the New York Post. Democrats are seeking to retake control of the Senate.

CBS News and NBC News say the war with Iran, high fuel and cost-of-living prices and worries over AI data centers shaped the race. NBC News reports that Trump rallied with Husted in Ohio twice in nine days and praised his physique and athleticism. Mother Jones reports that Ohio also elected a Democratic governor, as Republican Vivek Ramaswamy conceded to Democrat Amy Acton.

NBC News says Ramaswamy's attack ad featuring Acton's estranged mother raised concerns that the backlash could hurt Husted.

Key figures
  • 48.4% to Husted's 46.7% Brown's vote share with 85% counted, per the Associated Press — New York Post
  • 53-47 Republican Senate majority before the election, per Newsweek — Newsweek
  • 11.2 percentage points Trump's margin in Ohio in 2024, per Newsweek — Newsweek
  • more than $500 million total advertising in the race, per the Columbus Dispatch as cited by Newsweek — Newsweek
  • $422.6 million ads paid or reserved as of Oct. 12, per AdImpact as cited by the Epoch Times — The Epoch Times

Three sides of the story

Liberal7 outlets

Husted's defeat and the Trump-era issues behind it

CBS News and NBC News open with their projections of Brown's win. CBS notes that no senator since 1988 has made a successful comeback after losing reelection and says Brown cast Husted as "the face of data centers." NBC calls the contest "one of the year's most combative and expensive Senate races" and reports that an August memo from the Republican Senate campaign committee warned data centers could doom Husted.

Mother Jones says rising prices, which voters blamed on Trump's policies and the Iran war, hurt Republicans. It adds that Husted's name came up in court hearings over a FirstEnergy corruption scheme, though he was not charged, and that Ohio also elected Democrat Amy Acton governor. The Daily Beast leads with Trump's praise of Husted's body at an Oct. 12 rally and says the strategy "failed spectacularly."

It quotes Obama on the campaign trail and Sarah McCammon of the think tank Third Way.

Center3 outlets

Brown's comeback and the path to Senate control

Newsweek leads with Brown's win, which returns him to the Senate two years after voters removed him. It reports that CNN called the race at 11:01 ET, when an estimated 88 percent of votes were in and Brown held 48.5 percent to Husted's 46.6. The piece lists states Democrats had already flipped, among them South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, New Hampshire and Texas.

It notes Republicans held a 53-47 Senate majority going in, meaning Democrats needed a net four-seat gain for control. It draws on University of Cincinnati political scientist David Niven, who said in a pre-election phone call with Newsweek that "Trump's popularity has plummeted." Speaking before the race was called, he said the result would begin as "a reaction to Trump."

The Seattle Times is brief: it says the AP called the race at 11:10 p.m. EST and that the comeback "demonstrates Democratic strength in a state that has shifted to the right." The Hill reports Decision Desk HQ's projection of Brown's win and says his bid faced "steep odds" in the once-purple state.

Conservative8 outlets

Decision Desk tallies, endorsements and Vance's home state

RedState calls the result "a Stunning Senate Upset," gives Decision Desk HQ's tally of 48.6 percent to 46.52 with 83 percent counted, and notes the race was a in the final RealClearPolling average, which had Brown up 2.8 points. Townhall posts Decision Desk updates and the candidates' own posts, including Brown's "Thank you, Ohio," says Husted trended upward most of the night but could not overtake Brown, and relays the National Republican Senatorial Committee's case against Brown's record, which it dates to 1974. The Epoch Times says Republicans had held the seat since 1999, reports $422.6 million paid or reserved for ads as of Oct. 12, and lists endorsements, including unions for Brown and 75 of 88 county sheriffs for Husted, per his campaign.

The New York Post's headline plays on Trump's "great ass" remark about Husted. It calls Brown's victory a "revenge win," quotes Brown on Thiel, Musk and Trump, and says Brown's win could be a tough blow to Vance's presidential ambitions.

Where outlets disagree
All sources: 18 articles from 18 outlets

Liberal (7)

Center (3)

Conservative (8)

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