Democrat incumbent Sherrod Brown won the U.S. Senate race against Republican Jim Renacci, according to CNN and NBC News.
This will be Sen. Brown’s third term.
One third of the U.S. Senate was up for re-election this midterm election. Twenty-six Democrats (including two Independents who caucus with the Democratic Party) and nine Republicans.
“We've seen so much energy this year from Ohioans who are fighting to defend healthcare, keep our communities safe, and protect the progress we have made,” Brown said in an email about “The Blue Wave.”
Brown was born and raised in Mansfield, Ohio. Prior to his first Senate Election, Brown was a member of the Ohio General Assembly, served as Ohio’s Secretary of State and represented Ohio’s 13th District in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Brown has spent his campaign traveling around the state, holding events to talk with voters about the issues they care the most about and to talk with them about what he is going to do to make sure all Ohioans can get ahead.
“The single biggest problem facing Ohioans is that as they work harder than ever, they have less and less to show for the work they put in,” Brown said in an email. “I’m fighting to make sure every single Ohioan has the opportunity to succeed — from the first-generation college student working their way through school at OU, to the nurse in Cincinnati or the business owner in Sandusky.”
One of Brown’s main focuses in his political career has been standing up for American workers. He has spent his career fighting to make sure Ohioans see their work pay off by investing in job-training programs and making it easier for student borrowers to refinance their loans. Brown said he has also fought to raise wages and wants to make sure workers “have a seat at the table and the ability to organize and bargain.”
“Above all, I believe there is dignity in all work,” Brown said in an email.
Brown made the opioid epidemic one of his main concerns. Brown has been working with fellow Sen. Rob Portman, R-OH, to make it easier for Ohioans battling addiction to receive treatment. Ohio has the second highest opioid overdose death rate per state, according to the CDC.
“I hear from Ohioans on the frontlines of this epidemic everyday and they need Congress to step up and provide the resources they need to make an impact in their communities,” Brown said in an email.
Creating jobs is one of Brown’s top priorities for his next term. He said in an email he is pursuing new policies that will support U.S. job creation. Some of these policies include renegotiating trades so they work better for Ohioans to tax incentives for companies who keep jobs in the U.S.
“While we invest in workers, we must also invest in communities to create new jobs and new opportunities for Ohioans,” Brown said in an email.
Brown was predicted to win this race by 15 points, according to CNN. In 2012, Brown beat Ohio State Treasurer Josh Mandel by 6 points in the Senate race.
For the past 11 years, Ohio has had a Democratic senator and a Republican senator. Before this election, only 14 states had a Senator from each of the main political parties, according to Pew Research Center.
Renacci had been the U.S. House Representative for Ohio’s 16th district since 2010. Before his career in politics, he was a businessman and operated over 60 businesses. He created 1,500 new jobs and employed 3,000 people statewide, according to his campaign website.
Brown spent election night in Columbus with his family and fellow Democratic candidates.
“I have spent my career fighting for working families across our state,” Brown said in an email. “I am proud that Ohioans know me, know my record, and know that they can count on me to give them a voice in the Senate.”
