Ohio – Ohio’s high-stakes Senate race is rapidly turning into a fierce battle over immigration, border security, and Sherrod Brown’s long political record as Republicans intensify attacks against the former Democratic senator ahead of one of the most closely watched elections in the country.
Brown, who served in the Senate from 2007 until his defeat in 2024, is now attempting a political comeback by running for the seat currently held by Republican Sen. Jon Husted. Husted was appointed after JD Vance became vice president at the start of President Donald Trump’s second administration. But just days before Ohio’s primary election, Republicans are aggressively trying to frame Brown as out of step with voters on immigration — an issue expected to dominate the race through November.
The controversy intensified after Brown made comments last month suggesting he supports stronger border enforcement and deportation of migrants who commit crimes. “I support closing the border to people so they just can’t cross the border at will, but I also say we, of course, should be deporting people that have committed a crime, surely,” Brown said during an interview. Those remarks immediately triggered criticism from Republicans who argue Brown’s voting history tells a very different story.
Republicans spotlight Brown’s immigration votes
Brown spent nearly two decades in the Senate and developed a long record opposing many of Trump’s immigration enforcement policies during both his first and second rise inside Republican politics. Republicans are now using that history to argue Brown is attempting to soften his image on border issues ahead of a difficult statewide race.
Over the years, Brown repeatedly voted against several Republican-backed immigration enforcement measures. His record includes co-sponsoring the 2019 End Mass Deportation Act, legislation aimed at reversing Trump-era deportation priorities and preventing federal funding cuts to sanctuary cities.
Brown also voted against proposals intended to increase ICE detention and deportation resources for migrants convicted of crimes. Republicans additionally point to votes against funding measures designed to stop criminal migrants from receiving amnesty protections.
His record on sanctuary cities has become another major line of attack. According to Republicans, Brown voted at least ten times between his House and Senate years to protect federal funding for sanctuary cities despite broader national debates over immigration enforcement. The former senator has also consistently opposed construction of a southern border wall, calling the idea “stupid,” “wrong” and “ludicrous.”
That opposition included votes to cancel Trump border wall projects in 2021 and later voting against restarting wall construction efforts in 2023. Republicans have also criticized Brown for opposing additional border security funding tied to opioid and narcotics detection at the southern border. Together, GOP strategists believe those votes create a major vulnerability for Brown in a state that has moved increasingly Republican over the last decade.
Immigration becomes central issue in Senate battle
The Ohio Senate race is already expected to attract enormous spending from both national parties as Republicans and Democrats fight for control of the Senate majority.
Ohio is listed as one of just three true toss-up Senate races nationwide. The other highly competitive contests are in Maine and Michigan, though races in Georgia, North Carolina, New Hampshire, and Alaska are also drawing heavy attention and fundraising.
Republicans appear determined to make immigration one of the defining issues of the campaign.
Husted’s campaign has already launched a major advertising push despite the senator running unopposed in the Republican primary. “This November, Ohioans will have a clear choice between the past and the future,” Husted campaign manager Drew Thompson said. “Jon Husted is getting an early start by taking his story directly to voters who are ready for a fresh, common-sense approach in Washington.”
Thompson later sharpened his criticism even further by directly tying Brown to Biden-era immigration policies. “After shocking Ohioans in 2024 by claiming he only hears about illegal immigration from the far Right, Sherrod Brown is now desperate to return to Washington and continue the same Biden-era open border policies he supported for 32 years,” the statement read. “Jon Husted, on the other hand, is working to clean up Sherrod Brown’s mess by funding border security, supporting border agents, and standing for the rule of law.”
National Republicans have echoed those attacks. “Sherrod Brown’s lies aren’t going to trick Ohioans,” NRSC regional press secretary Nick Puglia said. “They know Brown has fought for over half a century alongside liberals like Kamala Harris to open our borders and protect dangerous criminal illegals from deportation.”
Brown faces difficult political terrain
The attacks highlight how dramatically Ohio politics have changed since Brown first rose to prominence. Once considered a classic swing state, Ohio has shifted steadily toward Republicans in recent national elections, with Trump carrying the state three consecutive times.
Brown’s political strength historically came from appealing to working-class voters through economic messaging and labor-focused policies. But immigration now occupies a much larger place in national politics than it did during many of his earlier campaigns.
Republicans believe that shift could make Brown’s past votes much more politically dangerous this time around. Still, Democrats remain hopeful Brown’s long-standing focus on economic issues and manufacturing jobs can reconnect him with enough independent and blue-collar voters to remain competitive statewide. For now, though, Republicans are making one thing clear: they intend to keep immigration and Brown’s voting history at the center of the Ohio Senate battle from now until Election Day.
