Sherrod Brown uses ActBlue to raise $3.6 million in first 24 hours after announcing U.S. Senate bid

Former Democratic U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, who is hoping to return to Washington, raised $3.6 million in the 24 hours since he officially launched his campaign, according to reports.

Brown is vying for the seat currently held by Republican Lt. Gov. Jon Husted, who is running for reelection. The Washington Post reported that the total includes $3 million that Brown’s campaign raised, as well as roughly $600,000 raised by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and the Ohio Democratic Party.

“Ohioans are fired up to send Sherrod Brown to fight for them in the Senate,” Brown campaign manager Patrick Eisenhauer said in a statement, according to several reports.

“Sherrod has lived his life by three principles: standing up for workers, treating everyone with dignity and respect, and working as hard as possible for the people of Ohio,” Eisenhauer added. “He’s running to be a voice for Ohioans and fight back against politicians doing the bidding of corporations and billionaires.”

Brown, a 72-year-old Mansfield native, served in the U.S. Senate from 2007 until 2025. Current Republican U.S. Sen. Bernie Moreno stunningly defeated Brown, who previously served in the U.S. House from 1993 until 2007, in November 2024.

The Buckeye State was previously a battleground state, but it has shifted toward a reliably Republican state in recent years. Brown, who ousted the current Republican Gov. Mike DeWine from the U.S. Senate in 2006, has survived several tight races, including in 2012 and 2018.

Brown’s entry into the race would give Democrats the big-name candidate they need, and one that they hope will appeal to independents and moderates. Currently, Chris Volpe, a gaming and technology businessman from Columbus, is the only other Democrat to officially announce a run for the seat.

“Sherrod Brown built his disgraceful career on the backs of hardworking Ohio families while he supported the woke Left’s agenda, including amnesty for criminal illegal immigrants, men in girls’ locker rooms, and sticking seniors with higher taxes,” Alex Latcham, executive director of the Senate Leadership Fund, a super PAC that backs Republican candidates, told The Wall Street Journal.

The donate button on Brown’s campaign site links to ActBlue, which critics have slammed, alleging potential illegal activity. U.S. House Republicans have launched an investigation into the Democratic fundraising platform.

In April, the U.S. House Judiciary Committee, the Committee on House Administration, and the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform jointly released an interim staff report, concluding that the platform had changed its fraud-prevention rules twice in 2024 to make them “more lenient” amid allegations of fraud, including from foreign sources.

Meanwhile, with Brown’s decision to run for U.S. Senate, Democratic powerbrokers want former Democratic U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan to run for governor. He served in the U.S. House from January 2003 until January 2023, representing Ohio’s 13th and 17th districts.

Ryan, who likes to portray himself as a moderate, explored a presidential run in 2020. Now-Vice President J.D. Vance defeated Ryan in a 2022 U.S. Senate race.

“Since Sherrod Brown announced he was running for the U.S. Senate, Tim Ryan’s phone has been blowing up,” Dennis Williard, a spokesman for Ryan, told ABC6 via email. “He really appreciates everyone reaching out to him and asking him to run for governor. He will make a final decision sometime by September 30.”

If Ryan enters the race, he’ll likely face off against Amy Acton, Ohio’s controversial former director of public health, in a Democratic gubernatorial primary.

“I’m in this race for everything. We know we are very competitive. We see a very clear path to victory,” Acton told WOSU.

Whoever wins the Democratic gubernatorial primary will likely face Republican Vivek Ramaswamy in the general election.