Democratic U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown made clear during a farewell speech Tuesday that he does not plan to abandon his career-long fight for American workers despite suffering a bitter defeat last month in Ohio, where it's become nearly impossible for his party to win statewide elections.
鈥淭his is my last speech on the floor this year, but it is not, I promise you, the last time you will hear from me,鈥� the 72-year-old Brown said in his signature gravelly voice, after thanking staff and family members who watched in the Senate chamber. He at times fought back tears.
It was a telling remark, given Brown's high political profile in his native Ohio. The state's political observers are already floating his name as a possible contender for the Senate seat being vacated by Republican JD Vance, the vice president-elect, or for the governorship. Both offices are up for grabs in 2026.
Brown said only that he would return to Ohio in January as 鈥渁 private citizen鈥� and that people who love the country "fight for the people who make it work every day.鈥�
The Democrat blasted the Washington establishment for bowing to Wall Street鈥檚 interest over workers, with painful results for places like his hometown of Mansfield, Ohio. He said he learned from his parents 鈥� a conservative and a liberal 鈥� 鈥渢hat the role of government was to help the little guy. The big guys can take care of themselves.鈥�
This fall, Brown delivered a similar message to voters without success, losing his reelection bid to Republican Bernie Moreno, a Cleveland businessman and newcomer to public office, by about 3.5 percentage points. Campaigns and outside groups spent nearly $300 million in what was one of Republicans鈥� top targets nationally as they successfully flipped the chamber.
That's as the onetime bellwether state has tacked hard to the right and supported Donald Trump for president three times.
Without naming Trump, Brown 鈥� a pro-union senator consistently ranked among the chamber's most liberal members 鈥� took a swipe at the notion that the president-elect's