Inside baseball

Politicians will usually do what's best for themselves.

I’ll vote for Sherrod Brown as Senator in 2026. I’m not going to skip to the ballot box, but I’ll do my sworn duty as a registered Democratic voter.

The stakes are too high, and that’s without no mention of his opponent.

As you might have heard, Axios reported Brown is interviewing Senate campaign managers, which jibes with what The Rooster reported last week in that the winds had shifting toward Brown launching a bid to return to America’s highest legislative chamber.

But I want to enter into the record what we know about Sherrod’s decision making process, starting after his loss to Bernie Moreno in November 2024:

• Responds “Thanks” to a heartfelt consulatory text from Dr. Amy Acton.

• Cuts off all contact with Acton, whom he helped legitimize as a political candidate, with several key staffers currently working for her.

• Teases possible gubernatorial run, which undercuts Acton’s ability to fundraise, as wealthy donors don’t want to write two checks.

• Meddles in the Ohio Democratic Party chair race, threatening not to run for anything if Big Labor doesn’t back his faithful stooge, former Portage County Commissioner Kathleen Clyde.

• Refuses to commit to anything throughout the summer, as the Ohio Republican Party unites behind notorious conman Vivek Ramaswamy, who continues to smash fundraising records.

• Axios reports that Brown is interviewing Senate campaign managers, the clearest sign yet that he has made his decision.

Brown’s selfish sandbagging has pissed off everyone from grassroots activists, to party operatives, to Big Labor chieftans who have long backed him to the hilt.

Because we all waited six months for Sherrod to make his decision, which he still hasn’t officially made, we’re barrelling toward a timeline where the gubernatorial candidate is either Acton, who wasn’t consulted by anyone for her opinion in the party’s chairmanship race, or former Congressman Tim Ryan, whom Brown loathes.

And if that comes to pass, we can probably look forward to a campaign where Sherrod tries to distance himself from national Democrats and the statewide ticket, which makes you wonder how that will appear to the average voter when the most popular Democrat in the state refuses to appear in public alongside his party’s statewide slate.

On one hand, I see Brown’s vision.

Ohioans largely know Brown as a Senator, and Jon Husted, who has a counterfeit Versace bag where his brain is supposed to be, isn’t nearly as threatening in an environment without Donald Trump atop the Republican ticket.

It will be easier for Brown to fundraise in a Senate campaign, as he already has established those relationships on the federal level. And if he wins, the Statehouse Republicans can’t neuter his powers before he assumes power like they could if he somehow defeated Ramaswamy.

On the other hand, this is just another example in the long history of Brown’s poor political instincts, which is why he’s preparing to run for office without an heir apparent, despite having more than 50 years in public office.

The ticket will live and die with the gubernatorial race, and with Brown running for Senate, his most likely outcome is a 2-3 point loss to Husted, which would be a horrible result for Ohio but one aligned with the karmic ramifications of Brown’s dithering.

And if the 72-year-old Brown, God forbid, croaks during his term? You can rest assured that Governor Ramaswamy would appoint a Republican to replace him.

In the meantime, multiple sources indicate Ryan is “getting his ducks in a row” to enter the gubernatorial race after Brown officially declares for Senate.

If or when that happens, we’ll have an expensive and aggravating primary between Dr. Acton and Ryan where the winner likely loses to Ramaswamy in 2026.

Ryan will be forced to mount that campaign outside of the party infrastructure due to Sherrod installing his stooge as the Ohio Democratic Party’s chairwoman and his personal animus toward Ryan.

That can be done—and it’s an obstacle that Ryan’s team no doubt will plan for—but these are generally not the kinds of fights a functioning resistance party wants to have with a well-financed candidate like Ramaswamy looming in the General Election.

I’ll forgive Sherrod for his petty machinations and not-that-kind-of-Democrat campaign if he proves me wrong and sends Husted back to the Dayton Chamber of Commerce.

But this is Ohio. And at some point, it becomes logical to expect the worst.

Happy Trails, Rep. Sedrick Denson!

Rep. Sedrick Denson discussed his infamous Belize hot tub photograph in February.

In a move The Rooster reported on July 24 would be coming sooner rather than later, State Rep. Sedrick Denson (D-Cincinnati) announced his resignation from the Ohio House of Representatives late Monday night.