Sherrod Brown stumps for Senate comeback — 2,000 miles away in Santa Barbara, California

While locked in a competitive Ohio Senate race, Democratic candidate Sherrod Brown spent part of the weekend campaigning more than 2,000 miles away in California as national Democrats continue investing in efforts to flip the seat.

Brown appeared Sunday at a Democratic Women’s Club event in Santa Barbara and later attended a fundraiser in Hope Ranch as part of his campaign to return to the U.S. Senate.

Brown is one of the Democrats’ top targets as the party seeks to regain control of the U.S. Senate in 2026. Democrats need a net gain of four seats to reclaim the chamber, making Ohio one of the most closely watched Senate races in the country.

This trip also comes less than two weeks after a Fox News poll found Brown leading Republican U.S. Sen. Jon Husted 53% to 45% in Ohio’s special Senate election, one of the most closely watched races of the 2026 cycle.

The poll found Brown received support from 98% of Democrats and 31% of non-MAGA Republicans.

Brown is seeking a return to the Senate after losing his seat to Republican Bernie Moreno in 2024. Husted was appointed to the seat by Republican Gov. Mike DeWine after Vice President JD Vance vacated it.

Speaking to supporters in California, Brown argued Democrats have an opportunity to regain control of the Senate and repeatedly criticized President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans.

“What we see in 2026,” Brown said during remarks in Santa Barbara, “we see a bad economy that is rigged, an economy rigged against workers, against the middle class, against people struggling, against poor people.”

Brown also described Republicans in Congress as “enablers” of the Trump administration and argued voters would punish them in November.

The California appearances drew criticism from Republicans, who argued Brown should be spending more time focused on Ohio voters.

“Apparently, Shady Sherrod Brown hasn’t learned his lesson after spending 32 years in Washington getting next-to-nothing done for Ohio families,” Republican National Committee spokesman Hunter Lovell said in a statement. “Instead of spending time with Ohioans, Brown was in California hob-nobbing with wealthy coastal elites and political insiders.”

The trip follows another Brown fundraiser earlier this year that drew criticism after attendees included several controversial political figures, including former West Virginia Chief Justice Margaret Workman and attorney Dante DiTrapano, whose law licenses were previously revoked following felony convictions and other legal troubles.

Brown remains one of the Democrats’ top opportunities to reclaim a Senate seat in a state that has trended Republican in recent years.

President Donald Trump carried Ohio by more than 11 percentage points in 2024, and Republicans currently control nearly every statewide executive office and both chambers of the Ohio General Assembly.

Despite those advantages, recent polling suggests Brown remains competitive as Democrats attempt to regain ground in a state Republicans have dominated over the last decade.

Ohio’s special Senate election is scheduled for Nov. 3.