Democrat Sherrod Brown won Ohio's special U.S. Senate election on Nov. 3, defeating Republican Sen. Jon Husted and flipping a seat the GOP had held since 1999, the Associated Press projected at 11:12 p.m. that night with 87% of votes reported, according to Ideastream Public Media.
All results remain unofficial pending the state canvass, which includes 52,036 provisional ballots and 4,067 military and overseas absentee ballots still to be counted, according to the Clermont Guardian.
Statewide results
The most complete unofficial count, published Nov. 4 by cleveland.com, showed Brown collecting 2,301,042 votes (50.0%) to Husted's 2,077,748 (45.2%). Libertarian Bill Redpath received 2.8% and independent Greg Levy received 2.0%, according to the Clermont Guardian's analysis of Ohio Secretary of State data.
Statewide turnout stood at 53.0%, with 4,250,651 ballots cast out of 8,018,054 registered voters, the Clermont Guardian reported from Ohio Secretary of State figures.
Candidate | Party | Votes | Pct. |
|---|---|---|---|
Sherrod Brown | Dem. | 2,301,042 | 50.0% |
Jon Husted | Rep. | 2,077,748 | 45.2% |
Bill Redpath | Lib. | ~120,082 | 2.8% |
Greg Levy | Ind. | ~86,148 | 2.0% |
Source: cleveland.com analysis of unofficial returns (Brown, Husted totals); Clermont Guardian analysis of Ohio Secretary of State data (Redpath, Levy totals at 89.7% of precincts). Certified results pending.
Data centers shaped the race
Data center development became a defining issue. Voters in Trenton, a Butler County town of about 14,000, approved Issue 17 on Nov. 3 with roughly 80% support, banning large data centers within city limits, WVXU reported.
Barry Blankenship, a leader of the Woodsdale and Trenton Environmental Resistance group, said the vote reflects growing opposition to data centers over their electricity and water demands.
Trenton was one of at least 14 Ohio municipalities that voted on data center measures Nov. 3, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported. All 18 passed bans or new restrictions.
Brown had called Husted "the face of data centers" in Ohio, attacking his record of promoting data center investment as lieutenant governor. A leaked National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) memo obtained by the Ohio Capital Journal called data centers "the anchor hanging around Husted's neck."
What comes next
Brown, 73, will serve the remaining two years of JD Vance's term, which expires in January 2029. The seat returns to the ballot in 2028 for a full six-year term. Under state law, Husted will leave office Dec. 15, and Brown could be sworn in as early as that date, the Columbus Dispatch reported.
