Sen. Jon Husted: Sherrod Brown ‘is the godfather of democratic socialism’

WILMINGTON — Republican U.S. Sen. Jon Husted blasted his opponent, calling him “the godfather of democratic socialism.”

Husted faces Sherrod Brown on Nov. 3 in a hotly contested race that could determine whether Republicans or Democrats control the U.S. Senate.

“Sherrod Brown is the godfather of democratic socialism,” Husted said in response to a question from Ohio.News. “He was out there fighting for socialism a long time ago, and what does that mean? It means he’s taking more of what you earn, sending it off to Washington to make you beg him to get it back, and that is not what this state wants. That’s not what works best for America. He’s voted with Chuck Schumer, Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Kamala Harris. He represents the coastal values, not Ohio values.”

Ohio voters booted Brown, who served in the U.S. Senate from 2007 to 2025 and in the U.S. House from 1993 to 2007, from office two years ago. Now, Brown is hoping to return to Washington, challenging Husted, who was appointed to the seat after Vice President JD Vance’s ascendancy to the nation’s second-highest elected office.

Husted spoke with reporters at the Wilmington Airpark following a tour of the facility.

“We believe in hard work. We believe in personal responsibility. We believe in family. We believe in favor, and we believe in freedom. And we don’t believe in nonsense,” Husted said in his remarks. “We believe in common sense, and that’s what’s so great about this state that I love, and I love fighting for all of you.

“I am in the midst of a campaign where the outcome will determine which direction we go. I have an opponent in Sherrod Brown who does not believe in the same things I do,” Husted told attendees. “He was for open borders. He’s been for higher taxes. He’s not been for creating the environment that creates jobs like this place. But I’ve been for creating more jobs. More jobs equal higher pay.”