Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio stands out on the 2024 Senate map as one of Republicans’ white whales. After being elected in 2006, Brown won six years later by six points as former President Obama carried the state by three points, then in 2018 won by seven points against a weak opponent in a midterm year that was a backlash to President Donald Trump, who had carried the Buckeye State by eight points just two years earlier.

Now, Brown is perhaps the most endangered incumbent in 2024, and Republicans believe they won’t miss this year as he has to share a ballot with an unpopular President Joe Biden in what is no longer a decisive presidential swing state.

The March 19 contest is the first competitive GOP Senate primary on the map of key races deciding Senate control. After fielding weak, problematic nominees in winnable races in 2022, the National Republican Senatorial Committee has taken a more hands-on approach to recruiting and boosting the most credible nominees (which we’ve written about extensively). Yet in Ohio, they have taken a

More from the Cook Political Report

ecovey
First Person
Cook Politcal Logo