The 2024 United States Senate election in Ohio was held on November 5, 2024, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the state of Ohio. Incumbent Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown lost re-election to a fourth term, being defeated by Republican nominee Bernie Moreno. Primary elections took place on March 19, 2024. This was the first U.S. Senate race in Ohio where the incumbent was defeated since 2006, when Brown defeated Mike DeWine.
This race was one of two 2024 U.S. Senate races in which Democratic senators sought re-election in states where Republican Donald Trump won in both the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections (the other being Montana). This was the most expensive U.S. Senate election of 2024, with a record-breaking $483.4 million spent in total. Brown's reelection was considered essential for Democrats' chances to retain the Senate majority in 2024.
Moreno won 8 counties that Brown won in 2018, all of them located in northern Ohio, Ashtabula, Erie, Lake, Mahoning, Ottawa, Portage, Trumbull, and Wood. His campaign was aided by Republican nominee Donald Trump's 11.21% margin of victory in Ohio, helping secure an outright majority for Senate Republicans for the first time since 2021, with a net gain of four seats in the 2024 elections. Although Brown outperformed Kamala Harris in the concurrent presidential election by 7.59 percentage points, it was not enough to win. Brown received about 120,000 more votes than Harris, while Moreno received about 320,000 fewer votes than Trump. Libertarian candidate Don Kissick received around 195,000 votes, approximately 3% of the vote. This was the first time since 1954 that a Republican defeated an incumbent Democrat senator in Ohio. Along with Bob Casey Jr. in Pennsylvania and Jon Tester in Montana, Brown was one of three incumbent senators to lose re-election in 2024. Notably, all three were first elected in 2006, defeating Republican incumbents, and won re-election in 2012 and 2018. To date, this is Sherrod Brown's second general election loss of his political career, following his 1990 loss to Robert Taft in his bid for re-election as Secretary of State of Ohio. Following his defeat, Brown would later run for the Senate again in 2026.
Moreno's swearing in on January 3, 2025 gave Republicans control of both of Ohio's U.S. Senate seats for the first time since 2007. As Ohio's other U.S. senator, JD Vance, was elected vice president of the United States, Moreno became Ohio's senior senator upon Vance's resignation.
After voting for Barack Obama in both the 2008 and 2012 presidential elections, Ohio has trended increasingly Republican in subsequent years and is now considered a red state. Republicans hold all statewide offices in addition to the majority in both chambers of the state legislature. Republicans also have a majority of the state's US House delegation.
Donald Trump won Ohio in 2016 and again in 2020 by 8 points both times.
Republican JD Vance defeated Democrat Tim Ryan in 2022 for OhioâÂÂs other U.S. Senate seat by slightly over 6 points.
Brown was first elected in 2006, defeating Senator Mike DeWine (who was subsequently elected governor), and won re-election in 2012 and 2018. If he had been reelected he would have been only the second Ohioan to be elected to the United States Senate four times, the other being John Glenn. Abortion was a key issue of the election. Brown held a pro-choice stance, while Moreno held a pro life stance and won the support of Ohio Right to Life. Brown raised the issue frequently. Because of this, the topic of abortion made the news. Initially, the seat was viewed by many to be a likely Democratic win, with some early polls showing Brown ahead, but Moreno attained a lead in the summer which grew through the duration of the campaign.
Sherrod Brown vs. Tim Ryan vs. Shontel Brown<br />
Aggregate polls<br />
Sherrod Brown vs. Matt Dolan<br />
Sherrod Brown vs. Frank LaRose<br />
Sherrod Brown vs. Joel Mutchler<br />
Sherrod Brown vs. generic Republican<br />
Moreno was declared the winner at around 11:30 PM on Election Day. Brown had the second worst performance of a Democratic incumbent in 2024. Only Montana Senator Jon Tester had a worse performance.
While Brown was able to win urban counties, Moreno won nearly all rural and suburban counties except Athens and Lorain. He also managed to win most counties in BrownâÂÂs home region of northern Ohio, flipping 8 counties in this area that Brown had previously won.
Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican
Moreno won nine of 15 congressional districts, with the remaining six going to Brown, including one that elected a Republican.
Partisan clients<br />
Official campaign websites