COLUMBUS, Ohio — Former U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown raised millions in the 24 hours after he announced his campaign to reclaim a seat, showing strategists from each party that the 2026 race will likely have record-breaking spending.
"Most of that money comes from everyday Ohioans who simply support him in a huge way," Ohio Democratic strategist David Pepper said.
Pepper points out that what Brown raised overnight is similar to what U.S. Senator Jon Husted has raised in eight months. Husted’s campaign reports he has raised about $4 million since January.
"When we're looking at margins that are as narrow as they are in both the House and the Senate in D.C., the parties are going to target the races where they have the greatest likelihood of winning," Ohio Republican Party leader and strategist Tony Schroeder said.
And this is just the beginning, he said.
"We understand what this race is going to take," Schroeder said. "So does Senator Husted."
What every candidate needs is cash and publicity.
Flashback to 2024 — when Brown lost his seat to U.S. Senator Bernie Moreno.
Political ad tracking firm AdImpact gave us data showing that 2024’s Ohio Senate race is the most expensive non-presidential race they have ever analyzed.
Across the board, about $550 million was spent on ads.
The biggest donor for Moreno was the Republican political action committee (PAC) Senate Leadership Fund, which spent around $90 million on ads. This money was spent in the two months leading up to election day.
The next top spenders were conservative groups One Nation and Defend American Jobs, which each spent about $40 million.
For Brown, Democratic PAC WinSenate spent $100 million, which also saved the money for the remaining few months before the general election. Brown for Ohio Senate spent $66 million, and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee spent nearly $50 million.
In total, Republicans outspent the Democrats by about $20 million.
But while President Donald Trump won Ohio last year by 11%, Brown fared better than Democrats nationally, still bested by Bernie Moreno by only four points.
Republicans say they will make sure this race isn’t as close.
"It's going to be blanketing the airwaves, and you're going to see, I think, some very intense campaigning," Schroeder said.
Already, the National Republican Senatorial Committee released an ad calling Brown a "sellout."
"Do you think that this is going to be one of the highest spending races we've seen?" I asked Pepper.
"Absolutely, absolutely," Pepper said. "This could very well be the tipping point of the U.S. Senate."
So if you're tired of the ads already — brace yourself. We still have a primary to get through, and it's 14 months to Election Day 2026.
RELATED: Dem strategist expects Brown's Senate campaign to focus on Ohio workers
