Democratic Senate Loss in Ohio Raises Bar for Sherrod Brown in 2024 Challenge
With Democratic Senate losses in three states, Democrat Sherrod Brown becomes the Democratic Party’s best hope for keeping the Senate. If he loses a fourth state to Republican challenger Katie McGinty, he becomes the Democratic Party’s best chance to take back the Senate. If he wins an open seat in Michigan, he becomes the Democratic Party’s best hope to take back the Senate.
The Senate race in Ohio continues to be a significant test of a growing Democratic Party, with the party hoping they can win two Senate seats and retake control in one of their Senate strongholds. The Senate race in Michigan is the test of a growing Democratic Party, with the party hoping they can once again take control of both the U.S. Senate and governor’s mansions.
The Senate race in Ohio was important to President Trump, who campaigned with GOP Sen. Rob Portman in the state in April and sent Vice President Mike Pence to campaign across the state in May, trying to help Portman win the seat that Sen. Sherrod Brown occupies. Portman lost the race to Brown, 51%-49%, on April 26, in a race that had a particularly close split with the Republican electorate, but which he won in a squeaker over Democrat Richard Cordray, who also lost by a single vote.
In late July, Portman began to make a move to win back the seat, with Vice President Pence campaigning in the state and sending a message to Ohio voters that the Republican Party is back. A recent poll by the Detroit News showed Trump beating both Portman and Democrat Sen. Sherrod Brown. Trump is leading by double digits in the poll, and Ohio was his second-best state for reelection, trailing only Wisconsin, according to the poll.
However, Brown’s campaign is going to need much more than a strong poll in the state to be successful in turning the race into an open call in the 2018 election cycle. A recent Quinnipiac poll showed Brown losing ground in Ohio with every point he gained in Michigan, and is a likely nominee from the state will have to contend with Brown’s well-funded