Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), a vulnerable incumbent running for reelection against Republican nominee Bernie Moreno, has been aligning himself with President Joe Biden and his politics. It may not be the smartest move, given how Ohio has become increasingly red, and the incumbent president being such an unpopular figure there.
While speaking to WKYC's Stephanie Haney on the "3 Things to Know" podcast just days before Biden was inaugurated in January 2021, in comments that have recently resurfaced, Brown said that "Joe Biden's politics now are not much different from mine," as he also claimed that "people will get to appreciate more and more the work that [Biden] does to help people..."
“Joe Biden’s politics now are not that much different than mine.” - Sherrod Brown pic.twitter.com/D821x0LmB7
— Jack Poso 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) May 7, 2024
Sure enough, Brown ended up voting 98.5 percent of the time with Biden's position during the 117th Session of Congress.
Former and potentially future President Trump won Ohio in 2020, just as he did in 2016, both times by around 8 points. He's expected to do so again in 2024, and by a potentially wider margin. Yet Brown had also claimed Biden "will be an appealing presence in Ohio," with the senator mentioning his own win from 2018.
At the start of the interview, Brown also denigrated Trump supporters and those in the Republican Party who had concerns about the 2020 election.
Ohio voters don't look to be "appreciat[ing]" Biden after all. According to Civiqs, just 32 percent approve of the job he's doing as president, which is lower than his overall 36 percent approval rating. Biden's lowest approval rating among Ohio voters was at 27 percent in July 2022, and it's never risen above the 41-42 percent it hovered around at from January-May 2021.
Now that the comments have resurfaced, Moreno's campaign is responding. "No matter how hard he may try, Sherrod Brown can’t run from his record as a rubber-stamp for Joe Biden’s disastrous leftwing agenda. Voting with Biden 99% of the time, Brown has helped create record inflation, a war on American energy, and an unprecedented invasion at our southern border. In November, Ohioans will retire Biden and Brown and send new leadership to DC," Reagan McCarthy, a spokesperson for the Moreno campaign told Townhall.
The Senate race is a true "Toss-Up," and could decide which party controls the U.S. Senate. The 2024 Senate map is looking particularly favorable to Republicans, both when it comes to the seats they are trying to flip and the seats they are defending. Brown has for a long time been on the list of vulnerable senators and races to watch, and was also just mentioned in a Roll Call piece from Tuesday which noted how "The six most vulnerable senators this year are all Democrats."