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Husted ‘surprised’ by reported Sherrod Brown U.S. Senate challenge
Credit: Bryant Billing
Credit: Bryant Billing
• The lede: Republican U.S. Sen. Jon Husted of Ohio, at a Dayton-area event on Wednesday, reacted to reports that he’ll face former longtime U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat, in the 2026 election.
• Quote: “Look, I don’t know who’s gonna run. Maybe he’ll run, maybe he won’t. But I will say that it surprised me, honestly,” Husted told reporters during an event at Sinclair Community College. “I mean, what are we, 14 months, 16 months away from the election? He just lost one ten months ago.”
• Rumor mill: There’s been plenty of talk about Brown, one of the state’s only Democrats with considerable name recognition, since he lost his bid for a fourth term in the U.S. Senate to Ohio Republican Bernie Moreno in November 2024. Brown lost that election by 3.6 percentage points in an election where President Donald Trump won the state by more than 11 points.
• Backdrop: The overperformance helped paint Brown as a viable gubernatorial candidate to challenge presumed GOP nominee Vivek Ramaswamy. Instead, recent reports from the Cleveland Plain Dealer and others indicate that Brown has decided to try to reclaim a spot in the U.S. Senate — the seat Husted holds after being tapped by Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine to finish a Senate term originally won by Vice President JD Vance.
• ‘We’ll see’: Husted shrugged off the reports. “Let’s get some work done. Let’s focus on actually solving problems at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and Sinclair Community College and those places before we start talking politics,” he said. “But, if he chooses to run, he’s been around for 50 years in elected office. They spent $300 million on him just ten months ago, and he lost. So, we’ll see.”
• Here’s the full story. (And video!)
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Ohio must redraw its congressional maps this year: Here’s how and why that’s happening
Credit: Julie Carr Smyth
Credit: Julie Carr Smyth
• The backdrop: Over the next few months, Ohio will work to redraw its 15 congressional districts at a time when red and blue states across the country are looking to squeeze out as much electoral power as possible ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
• The explainer: So, as national attention turns to redistricting and its impact on federal power, we set out to explain the voter-approved process Ohio uses to draw and approve congressional districts.
• Three stages: Ohio’s constitution spells out the redistricting process, but that process will be controlled almost entirely by Republicans, who will have two stages to create maps that gain bipartisan support. If they don’t get support from Democrats, they can pass a map with only Republican support in the third stage.
• However: But, if that does end up being the case, the Ohio Constitution contains certain stipulations. For example, the map couldn’t “unduly” favor one political party over the other, nor could it unduly split local governmental units. A third-stage map would also only go into effect for two election cycles.
• Enforcement: But those stipulations would need to be enforced by the Ohio Supreme Court, which currently contains a 6-to-1 advantage for Republicans, and it’s unclear how the court would interpret whether a map “unduly” favors one political party over the other.
• Balance: Ultimately, this fall’s redistricting process will be judged on how many of Ohio’s districts are drawn to favor each party. The current split is 10-to-5 for Republicans; House Democrats want something like 8-to-7 for Republicans; while U.S. Sen. Bernie Moreno is hoping for a 12-to-3 split.
• Here’s my full explainer on the topic.
Local political news of the week
• Sound investment?: Destination Dayton says the NATO Parliamentary Assembly held downtown in late May had a $1.3 million direct economic impact on the local economy, and the event gave the Dayton community around $138 million worth of global publicity. Here’s Cornelius Frolik.
• Round and round: The Dayton Public Schools Board of Education has filed a lawsuit against the state of Ohio trying to stop the state’s enforcement of a new provision in the state budget that blocks DPS students from using school-purchased bus passes to change buses in the downtown bus hub. Eileen McClory has the details.
• ‘Critical’ funding: A bill in the U.S. Senate has $15 million to address a runway on Wright-Patterson Air Force Base that has been in critical condition, U.S. Sen. Jon Husted told the Dayton Daily News Wednesday. Thomas Gnau has the story.
State political news of the week
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
• To the top: Plaintiffs trying to stop Ohio from shifting a share of $4.8 billion in unclaimed funds towards the Cleveland Browns’ proposed stadium project are now asking for the Supreme Court of the United States to intervene. Here’s my story.
• Weed schedule: The Trump administration says it might reclassify marijuana, which is currently on par with heroin and other drugs. This could open pathways for Ohio’s medical and recreational dispensaries to access some banking services and tax benefits. Here’s Sydney Dawes.
• Driver’s ed: Ohio law will soon require all new drivers under the age of 21, instead of those under 18, to complete 24 hours of driver’s education, eight hours of in-car instruction, and 50 hours of guided practice before getting their license. Here’s my story on the change.
• Means to amend: There will be two new citizen-initiated amendments circulating around Ohio following a state board’s decision to split a proposed initiative guaranteeing equal rights under the law and formally remove the Ohio Constitution’s gay marriage ban into separate amendments. Here’s my story.
National political news of the week
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
• Funding limbo: With Congress once again well behind on its annual work to fund the federal government, Ohio lawmakers are hoping they can shepherd dozens of local projects across the finish line in the House and Senate this fall. Jamie Dupree has the story.
• Slow news day: With Congress out until after Labor Day, there isn’t much happening at the U.S. Capitol. But twice a week, the House and Senate have to return for short “pro forma” sessions — which means some unfortunate lawmaker must come back to Capitol Hill to wield the gavel. One lazy summer Friday, that fell to Ohio’s U.S. Sen. Bernie Moreno. Here’s Jamie Dupree.
• Birthday accommodations: Vice President JD Vance’s security detail had the Little Miami River’s water level raised to accommodate a kayaking trip he and his family took to celebrate his 41st birthday. The Associated Press has the story.
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