Background and career
Sherrod Campbell Brown ( SHERR-əd; born November 9, 1952) is an American politician who served from 2007 to 2025 as a United States senator from Ohio. Previously, he served in the Ohio House of Representatives from 1975 to 1983, was Ohio secretary of state from 1983 to 1991, and was the U.S. representative for Ohio's 13th congressional district from 1993 to 2007. He is a member of the Democratic Party, and has been described as a populist. A native of Mansfield, Ohio, Brown graduated from Yale University and Ohio State University. Brown was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2006, defeating two-term Republican incumbent Mike DeWine. He was reelected in 2012 and 2018. Throughout his tenure, Brown chaired the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs and served on the Committees on Finance, Veterans' Affairs, and Ethics. Brown ran for reelection to a fourth term in 2024, but lost to Republican Bernie Moreno. He is the Democratic nominee in the 2026 U.S. Senate special election in Ohio, challenging incumbent senator Jon Husted.
Sherrod Brown was born in Mansfield, Ohio, on November 9, 1952, the son of Emily (née Campbell) and Charles Gailey Brown, M.D. He has Scottish, Irish, German, and English ancestry, and was named after his maternal grandfather. He is one of three brothers. Brown's brother, Charlie, served as Attorney General of West Virginia from 1985 to 1989. Brown's other brother, Robert, was an attorney and graduate of Harvard Law School. Brown became an Eagle Scout in 1967; his badge was presented by John Glenn. In 1970, he graduated from Mansfield Senior High School. In 1974, Brown received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Russian studies from Yale University. While at Yale, he lived in Davenport College, and he campaigned for George McGovern during the 1972 presidential election. He went on to receive a Master of Arts degree in education and a Master of Public Administration degree from the Ohio State University at Columbus in 1979 and 1981, respectively. He taught at Ohio State University's Mansfield branch campus from 1979 to 1981.
During his senior year in college, Brown was recruited by a local Democratic leader to run for Ohio's state house. Brown served as a state representative in Ohio from 1974 to 1982. At the time of his election to the Ohio House, he was the youngest person elected to that body. In 1982 Brown ran for Ohio secretary of state to succeed Anthony J. Celebrezze Jr. He won a four-way Democratic primary that included Dennis Kucinich, and then defeated Republican Virgil Brown in the general election. In 1986 Brown was reelected, defeating Vincent C. Campanella. As Secretary of State, Brown focused on voter registration outreach. In 1990 he lost reelection in a heated campaign against Republican Bob Taft, the future governor of Ohio and great-grandson of President William Howard Taft.
In 1992, Brown moved from Mansfield to Lorain, Ohio, and won a heavily contested Democratic primary for the open seat for Ohio's 13th district, in the western and southern suburbs of Cleveland, after eight-term incumbent Don Pease announced his retirement. The Democratic-leaning district gave him an easy win over the little-known Republican Margaret R. Mueller. He was reelected six times.
The Democrats lost their long-held House majority in the 1994 elections, and stayed in the minority for the remainder of Brown's tenure. As ranking member of the Energy and Commerce Health subcommittee, Brown successfully advocated for increased funding to fight tuberculosis.
In 2005, Brown led the Democratic effort to block the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). For many months, Brown worked as whip on the issue, securing Democratic "nay" votes and seeking Republican allies. After several delays, the House of Representatives finally voted on CAFTA after midnight on July 28, passing it by one vote. Brown opposed an amendment to Ohio's constitution that banned same-sex marriage. He was also one of the few U.S. representatives to vote against the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996.
