Democrat Sherrod Brown Defeats Sen. Jon Husted, Returns to Senate From Ohio
The former senator beat the Republican appointed to JD Vance’s seat, two years after losing his own seat to Bernie Moreno, CNN projected.
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Democrat Sherrod Brown has defeated Republican Senator Jon Husted in Ohio’s Senate special election, CNN projected. The call came shortly after 11 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026.
The win returns Brown to the Senate two years after he lost his own seat. It also flips a Republican-held seat in a state Trump carried by double digits in 2024.
Vance’s Former Seat
The seat was held by JD Vance until he became vice president in January 2025. Gov. Mike DeWine then appointed Husted, his lieutenant governor, to fill the vacancy.
Brown lost his previous seat to Republican Bernie Moreno in 2024. Tuesday’s special election decides who serves the rest of Vance’s term, which runs through January 2029.
With an estimated 75% of the vote counted, Brown led 48.3% to 46.9%, Decision Desk HQ tallies showed.
A Double Win for Ohio Democrats
The result comes after Democrat Amy Acton was projected to win the governor’s race over Vivek Ramaswamy. Democrats were also projected to flip a Senate seat in Kansas.
Kamer Kurunç
Kamer Kurunç is the Team Leader of Clash Report and has led the outlet for four years. He oversees its breaking world news coverage, from the Middle East and the Russia-Ukraine war to defense and global politics. His focus is fast, verified, source-based reporting. Follow him on X at @kamerknc.
Choose Clash Report as a preferred source and see our reporting first in Top Stories.