Sen. Sherrod Brown lost his spot in the U.S. Senate following the election on Tuesday. Brown has served as one of the two senators from Ohio since 2007 up until his loss to Republican Bernie Moreno, a businessman from Cleveland. Brown’s ousting, alongside the reelection of President-elect Donald Trump, has taken many by surprise.
Ohio’s election of Moreno is not shocking according to polling information which put him in a tight race with Brown prior to the election. However, it is shocking given the way Ohio voted on abortion just last year. In passing Issue 1 in 2023, Ohioans clearly voted to protect abortion. Although Moreno has stood staunchly against abortion, calling himself “100% pro-life” and signaling disdain for abortions past 15 weeks, he managed to win over Ohio’s voters.
The left has bungled this election largely in its attitude and rhetoric regarding working class America. Democrats began painting the working class as uneducated and stopped putting as much energy into winning the working class vote. By both insulting and ignoring the value of blue collar citizens, the right was given an opportunity to win them over.
Brown likely held such a prominent position as a Democrat in increasingly red Ohio because of his rhetoric concerning working Americans. Moreno, on the other hand, was accused in a lawsuit of withholding overtime pay from employees and allegedly destroying the documents needed to prove it.
Although Trump’s economic policy mainly benefits the wealthy, the rhetoric centered around his social policy has not matched this. He has continuously made a point to build an us-versus-them attitude among those who feel left behind by the current political system. Vice President Kamala Harris attempted to appeal to the working class, but these attempts ultimately fell flat.
Harris’ campaign simply didn’t pan out, and there is one major reason for this. Her attempt to appeal further to centrists makes sense at a surface level --- Trump leans very far to the right. A logical step in becoming a formidable opponent against a more extreme candidate is to appeal to those who may see him as too extreme.
In marketing herself as moderately as she did, however, Harris alienated a large portion of her base. Although centering abortion in her campaign was a good move, and an important one, her messaging around the Israel-Hamas war has been conflicting, simultaneously endorsing Israel’s right to defend itself and the self-determination of Palestinians. This is not enough for many on the left, with pro-Palestine protesters frequently interrupting her speeches.
Prior to the election, polls suggested a close call in both the race for the Senate in Ohio and for the presidency. Still, many remained assured that both Brown and Harris would win their respective elections. Perhaps this was out of hope given the weight of the situation. Regardless, Ohioans and Americans in general have voiced their support for a conservative lean in the government. Since Nov. 5, the U.S. has discovered within itself a right-wing edge that many thought had died off. In reality, prejudicial and violent welts have been growing in the shadows, and will now be reflected within our government.
Megan is a senior studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note that the views expressed in this column do not reflect those of The Post. Want to talk to Megan about her column? Email her at md396520@ohio.edu.
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