Ohio’s Senate seats have been a whirlwind of activity since 2022.

That year, newcomer Republican J.D. Vance defeated Democrat House member Tim Ryan, when Vance’s profile gained traction alongside his popular book and movie Hillbilly Elegy.

Then in the 2024 Presidential Election, Republican newcomer Bernie Moreno defeated Democrat three-term incumbent Sherrod Brown.

Vance’s term in the Senate was short-lived, however, when he was elevated to the Vice Presidency, also in the 2024 election. At that point, Governor Mike DeWine appointed Lt. Governor Jon Husted to replace Vance in the Senate.

Brown originally defeated DeWine in the Senate race of 2006.

In this year’s Nov. 3 General Election, Husted must defend his seat against the returning Sherrod Brown. Who doesn’t enjoy a fun-filled game of Musical Senate Chairs?

More than 50 years ago, Sherrod Brown had his start in Ohio politics in 1974, during the Vietnam War. Husted enjoys pointing this out in his campaign ads. However, Husted himself has been in politics since 2001, 25 years ago. Neither man has ever worked in the private sector.

Brown hails from Mansfield, born in 1952. At age 15, he received his Eagle Scout badge from astronaut and future Ohio senator John Glenn.

He started his political career as the youngest member of the Ohio Statehouse on record, at 22 years old. He was recruited to run when he was still a college student at Yale University, pursuing a degree in Russian Studies. He had gained notoriety as a volunteer for the Presidential campaign of Democrat George McGovern in 1972.

It was during his tenure as a state legislator that his brother, Charlie Brown, was Attorney General of West Virginia. At age 30, Sherrod was elected Secretary of State for Ohio. He later served in the U.S. House of Representatives for six terms. He served three terms as a senator, until losing reelection in 2024.

In 2011, Sherrod Brown tied with eight others in a ranking by the National Journal as the most liberal member of Congress.

Brown is on record as supporting some measure of universal health care, and has been seen as a champion of LGBTQ rights. He is an opponent of free trade policies, writing that “an unregulated global economy is a threat to all of us.”

He voted against the PATRIOT Act in 2001, after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Brown has worked for several years with the Ohio College Presidents Conference, which” leverages federal resources to promote higher education and job training in Ohio.”

Originally born in Michigan in 1967, Jon Husted was adopted by foster parents. He was raised in Montpelier, Ohio, and graduated from the University of Dayton with a master's degree in communications. He played defensive back for the Flyers and turned down a football coaching career at the University of Toledo.

Husted worked for the Dayton Chamber of Commerce in the 1990s, and was elected to the Ohio Statehouse in 2001 at 33 years of age.

Husted was unanimously elected by his party for Speaker of the Ohio House, and held that office from 2005-2009.

He served in the Ohio Senate for two years, before being elected as Ohio Secretary of State from 2011 to 2019. In 2017, he withdrew from the Republican primary for governor to replace John Kasich, and became Mike Dewine’s running mate.

He served as lieutenant governor from 2019 to 2024, when Dewine nominated him to replace J.D. Vance in the Senate. Vance’s original senate tenure would have ended in 2028; however, Ohio law dictates that a special election be held when a senator is appointed, which is happening in November.

During his time as secretary of state, Husted drastically reduced the size of the department, slashing the agency workforce by over 30 percent. The Secretary of State office ran a massive surplus for the rest of his tenure. He also set uniform days and hours for elections across the state, replacing the old system, where each county set their own.

In the U.S. Senate, Husted’s voting record is nearly 100 percent aligned with President Trump. He sponsored a law to repeal Joe Biden’s energy efficiency standards for household appliances, signed by Trump in 2025. Husted has a 76 percent score from the Heritage Foundation, a conservative thinktank.

In 2024, the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT) filed a complaint with the FEC against Brown for excessive campaign contributions, specifically citing a $16 million surplus of funds at the end of the campaign. A dead woman allegedly donated to Brown’s senate campaign in 2024, for which Ohio Secretary of State LaRose referred to the FEC.

Husted has been repeatedly connected to the First Energy bribery scandal in Ohio. He testified for the defense in the trial of FirstEnergy executives Chuck Jones and Michael Dowling. Husted received $1 million in contributions from a FirstEnergy-aligned PAC in 2017, and he and DeWine met with company executives in 2018. Husted has not been charged with any wrongdoing regarding the FirstEnergy scandal.

This is an especially important senatorial election, in that the balance of power in the U.S. Senate is very tight.

Currently, the Republicans hold a 53 to 47 majority. This could easily flip in November – as a third of Senators in the U.S. are up for re-election.

This not only has implications for the voting agenda, but potentially for the Supreme Court. All federal judicial nominees from the President must clear Senate confirmation – a process which recently has turned extremely partisan.

Supreme Court justices have lifetime appointments, but four of the justices are over 70 years of age. The results of this election could sway the liberal-conservative split in the high court for years to come.

This race is another generational divide (Baby Boomer vs. Gen X), similar to the governor race (Gen X vs. Millennial).

Much like the governor race, polls show that the senate race is in a statistical tie. While the gubernatorial race represents fresher faces in Ohio elections, the senatorial race represents career politicians. The Chronicle encourages readers to do their own research and vote accordingly. Election Day is Nov. 3, and every vote counts.