2006 New Member Profiles
Ohio Senate: Sherrod Brown (D)

The Almanac of American Politics
© National Journal Group Inc.

Sherrod Brown
Born:	November 9, 1952
Family:	Wife, Connie Schultz; four children
Religion:	Lutheran
Education:	Yale University, B.A. 1974; Ohio State University, M.A. 1979, M.A. 1981
Career:	Teacher; professor
Elected  Office:	Ohio House, 1974-82; Ohio secretary of state, 1982-90; U.S. House, 1992-2006

Rep. Sherrod Brown has spent more than half his life in public office. He won election to the Ohio House at the age of 22, captured the Ohio secretary of state's office at 29, and won an open seat in Congress days before his 40th birthday. Now, at age 54, Brown has ousted two-term Republican Sen. Mike DeWine.

During his seven terms in the House, Brown focused on trade policy and health care. A leading foe of free trade, he opposed the North American Free Trade Agreement, the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, permanent normal trade relations with China, and fast-track trade-negotiating authority for the president. In 2004, he authored the book, "Myths of Free Trade."

Brown never took his eye off statewide office after losing a bid for a third term as secretary of state in 1990. After the 2000 election, he made it known that he would run for governor if his congressional district was threatened in redistricting. And Brown continued to draw attention as a possible gubernatorial candidate until May 2005, when he announced that he would not seek the governorship this year.

Brown had also maintained that he would not challenge DeWine this year, but he reconsidered and entered the Senate race in October 2005. The Democratic front-runner at the time, Iraq war veteran Paul Hackett, angrily accused Brown of reneging on a promise of support. In February 2006, Hackett withdrew from the race, claiming that the national party was undermining his candidacy. With Hackett out, Brown breezed to the Democratic nomination in the May 2 primary.

DeWine, meanwhile, won a lackluster 72 percent in the GOP primary against two little-known opponents, a reflection of conservative dissatisfaction with his moderate votes on several high-profile issues. DeWine also had the misfortune of running for re-election in an unusually hostile political environment for Republicans: He had to contend with Brown's charges that he was a "rubber stamp" for President Bush, and with the undertow from scandals surrounding Ohio's Republican-controlled state government. For DeWine, the drag proved too much to overcome.