The U.S. Senate is up for grabs. Can this Ohio Democrat win back working class votes?
Senator Sherrod Brown is campaigning to regain his U.S. Senate seat in Ohio by focusing on his long-standing support for labor unions and working-class voters. The race against Republican incumbent Jon Husted is considered a toss-up that could influence control of the Senate.
Why it matters
The Ohio Senate race is a critical battleground that will help determine the balance of power in the U.S. Congress during the next presidential term.
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COLUMBUS, PAINESVILLE AND AKRON, Ohio — It was a raucous homecoming for Sherrod Brown.
AC/DC's "Thunderstruck" blared from ballroom speakers. Union stalwarts representing steelworkers, utility workers, construction workers and others greeted the 73-year-old Democrat with resounding cheers and endless handshakes.
This was the biennial gathering of the Ohio AFL-CIO, a crowd Brown has kept at the forefront of his agenda throughout his 50 years in public office, including 32 years in the U.S. Congress.
And these are the people Brown is counting on to send him back to Washington after suffering defeat at the polls two years ago.
"I want you to talk to people, because people will listen to you," he implored. "I want you to share information — how I spent my whole career fighting for workers."
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