Former Democratic senator Sherrod Brown on Monday announced he will run for the Ohio seat held by Republican Jon Husted, setting up a rematch between two well-known statewide figures in the November 2026 special election. In a video declaration released 18 August, the 72-year-old said he was motivated by concerns that Washington is “making things worse for Ohioans” and reiterated his long-standing focus on workers’ rights and economic fairness. Husted, 57, was appointed in January by Governor Mike DeWine to fill the vacancy created when JD Vance became vice president. The winner of the 2026 contest will serve the remainder of Vance’s term and must seek a full six-year mandate again in 2028, raising the prospect of three campaigns for the seat in as many election cycles. Brown, who represented Ohio in the Senate from 2007 until his narrow 2024 defeat by Republican Bernie Moreno, gives Democrats a high-profile recruit as they try to claw back the chamber’s majority; Republicans now control 53 of 100 seats.