Former Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown will face anti-transgender Republican Sen. Jon Husted this fall in a special election NBC News has called among “the most expensive and consequential in the country.”
Brown – who won the primary by a landslide against newcomer Ron Kincaid – is fighting for the U.S. Senate seat left vacant by Vice President JD Vance last year.
Earlier this year, Brown received a major endorsement from the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) – the world’s largest and most influential LGBTQ+ rights group. However, he has also received backlash from LGBTQ+ leaders following a 2024 campaign ad that cast transgender Ohioans in an unfavorable light.
Brown wins LGBTQ+ endorsements
Brown has been a longtime supporter of pro-LGBTQ+ policy, including marriage equality.
HRC Vice President Lynne Bowman released a statement of support following Brown’s victory.
“Voters have a clear choice this fall, between more of the same failed policies that are hurting all Ohioans, and pro-equality champions like Sherrod Brown who have real solutions to the cost of living crisis and health care access,” Bowman said.
“Jon Husted represents an old, tired party who voted against marriage equality and uses crackdowns on LGBTQ+ people as a distraction from his moral bankruptcy and lack of results,” she added.
Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) Chair Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand also released a statement in support of Brown.
“Sherrod Brown is a trusted leader for Ohio families who has spent his career standing up for workers and delivering real results for Ohioans,” Gillibrand said. “While Sherrod has spent his career fighting for Ohioans, Jon Husted has sided with corporations and billionaires over hardworking Ohio families…”
Slipping support for transgender rights
In Ohio, LGBTQ+ rights groups have pressed Brown more aggressively regarding his stance on transgender rights and other pro-LGBTQ+ policies.
In 2024, Brown lost the U.S. Senate seat he held for 18 years to Republican opponent Bernie Moreno. During the contentious campaign, LGBTQ+ leaders criticized Brown for a commercial he released in response to Moreno.
Moreno’s campaign broadcast a series of ads attacking Brown for pro-transgender views. Instead of using strong language to defend transgender Ohioans, Brown backpedaled.
In the advertisement, Brown said it was a “total lie” that he voted to support transgender girls and women in women’s sports. He also suggested that transgender athletes’ participation in sports should be left to states and individual sports leagues.
Both LGBTQ+ Nation and independent journalist Erin Reed have linked Brown’s comments to a larger shift among Democrats when it comes to public support for transgender rights – particularly around access to gender-affirming healthcare and participation in sports.
In 2023, Brown told reporters with WSYX he believes “a child’s health care decisions are between them, their parents, their families and their doctors, not politicians,” but has generally remained tight-lipped around access to gender-affirming healthcare for transgender Ohioans.
Executive director of transgender advocacy group TransOhio Dara Adkison, called Brown’s 2024 ad “anti-trans.”
“In 2024, both Brown and Moreno ran disgusting anti-trans ads. It is our hope that in 2026 both Brown and Husted can focus on issues affecting Ohioans that need attention, not transphobic bigotry,” Adkison told The Buckeye Flame. “Trans people in Ohio would like to just be left alone to lead our lives.” 🔥
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