Part 1 — Husted quiet as Sherrod amps up
So goes the nation: Ohio's 2026 U.S. Senate race where majority party wins
Like his likely 2026 opponent, U.S. Sen. Jon Husted once served as the elected Ohio Secretary of State and in the Ohio General Assembly. And both men, now, have been in the U.S. Senate. But that’s where Husted’s and former U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown’s similarities end.
Brown, a three-term U.S. senator from 2007-2024 who lost his re-election bid last year, launched a fresh, multi-pronged attack on Husted over the weekend, hitting the Washington newbie on issues ranging from farmers’ economic struggles to healthcare costs and tax policy. The aggressive string of comments comes as Sen. Husted, who was appointed by Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine to fill the seat vacated by J.D. Vance in January after Vance became Vice President, has not responded to press inquiries since his appointment.
Brown made his list of grievances known in an X post video on Saturday, where he linked Husted’s policies to the plight of American agriculture.
“Ohio farmers, American farmers, are in crisis,” Brown said. “For years, Ohio farmers, American farmers have sold billions of dollars, a billion dollars of soybeans to China. This harvest, Ohio farmers sold zero.”
Brown blamed the loss of the Chinese market on “reckless tariffs supported by John Husted,” which he claimed caused those buyers to “look for better prices” elsewhere.
