Ohio Republican Sen. Jon Husted is touting new allies in his re-election bid during the midterm elections: former supporters of his opponent.
Husted received early endorsements from several Ohio labor groups that backed the former Ohio Democratic senator. Sherrod Brown during his unsuccessful bid for re-election in 2024. Even as Husted and Brown, the likely Democratic nominee, gear up for what promises to be one of the highest-profile showdowns of the midterm elections, Husted argues that he is already eroding Brown's traditional base seven months before the May 2026 primary. (RELATED: Longtime Democratic Party Teamsters Union Increasingly Backs Republicans)
“Sherrod Brown lost the last election [Republican Ohio Sen.] Bernie Moreno got over 200,000 votes, and part of his coalition has already broken away and is supporting us with some of the early union endorsements that we got,” Husted told the Daily Caller News Foundation in a recent interview.
International Union of Operating Engineers Local 66 (IUOE), the union representing construction industry workers in northeast Ohio, endorsed Husted on Oct. 14. In its endorsement, the group noted that Husted “leads actions, not just photo ops or political talking points.”
IUOE Local 18 and the Northwest Ohio Building Trades Council, which has 18 affiliated local unions, also publicly supported Husted's re-election campaign, despite previously backing Brown.
“I think it’s the realization that Sherrod Brown sucks,” Moreno told DCNF, referring to his former opponent losing the support of some labor groups. “They realized that Sherrod Brown had done nothing for them in all these years.”
A representative for Brown did not immediately respond to DCNF's request for comment.
Husted is expected cruise into the general election after early support from President Donald Trump helped clear the field for the primary.
He is also touting a single Republican ticket with Vivek Ramaswamy, the GOP frontrunner in the state's gubernatorial election. They exchanged endorsements in September, allowing both candidates to focus on becoming Republicans in a year when Trump won't be on the ballot.
Meanwhile, Brown may be forced to spend money in the primaries to fend off a risky option. trial from entrepreneur Fred Ode, who has contributed $5 million to his self-funded campaign so far.
WASHINGTON, DC – JULY 11: US Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) leaves the US Capitol for a private meeting on July 11, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Tierney L. Cross/Getty Images)
Husted argues that early union support is a result of the trust he has built with unions while helping secure economic development projects and create new jobs during more than two decades in public service.
He previously served as the state's lieutenant governor, secretary of state, and speaker of the House of Representatives before being appointed to the Senate to fill the remainder of Vice President J. D. Vance's term.
“When businesses and workers work together, as well as government officials, we can create more jobs to grow the pie rather than pitting ourselves against each other, fighting over pieces of the pie,” Husted told DCNF. “And that led to the great relationships I have with local unions in Ohio.”
Husted also spoke positively about unions nationally, telling DCNF he had “very high regard” for Teamsters Union President Sean O'Brien, who spoke at the 2024 Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
The group has sacrificed to dozens of Republican candidates this year, despite backing almost exclusively Democrats for decades. The Teamsters PAC donated $4,000 to Husted's re-election campaign.
“WWe continue to build strong relationships because we are results-oriented,” Husted told DCNF.We have a proven track record in these relationships, helping to improve the fortunes of working men and women in Ohio.”
He also believes that the shift of working-class voters toward the Republican Party in the 2024 elections will have lasting power. According to Husted, the Democratic Party is out of step with rank-and-file union members who believe in secure borders, the Second Amendment and common sense prohibitions against biological males participating in women's sports.
“Ohio workers support Republicans more than they support Democrats,” Husted told DCNF. “You see the organizations they work for, the unions, especially local Ohioans who are very supportive of where we're going.”
Brown also won several early union endorsements from Ohio local unions and has the support of national organized labor groups closely aligned with the Democratic Party.
ARTESIA, NEW MEXICO – AUGUST 21: U.S. Border Patrol training leaders observe recruits on their first day at the U.S. Border Patrol Academy on August 21, 2025 in Artesia, New Mexico. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)
Husted also received approval from the National Border Council on Thursday. The union, which represents about 18,000 Customs and Border Patrol (CPB) agents, praised Husted for supporting Trump's border security agenda and criticized Brown for “overseeing the Biden administration opening the country to a flood of illegal immigrants.”
On the issue of shutting down the government, Husted did not hesitate to say that Brown would vote with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to keep the government going. shuttered indefinitely if he was still serving in the Senate.
“HOUR“E is Chuck Schumer’s most trusted voice,” Husted told DCNF. “We have every confidence that he will vote for Chuck Schumer every time.”
Schumer personally lobbied Brown install bid to return to Husted's place. Ohio is a must-win state for Democrats in their bid to regain control of the Senate in 2026.
Although survey On the battlefield, the race is still rare, with Husted up 2.5 percentage points in RealClearPolicy polling unit. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates the contest as “lean Republican.”
Andie Shae Napier contributed to this report.
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