Jon Husted

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Republican U.S. Senate candidate Jon Husted is launching a $1.2 million television ad attacking Democrat Sherrod Brown, the latest sign that Ohio’s Senate race is shaping up to be a bruising fight.

The 30-second spot ties Brown to national issues, blaming him for the “border crisis,” “sky-high cost of living,” and “boys in girls’ sports.” It then pivots to a clip of President Donald Trump declaring: “You’re fired.”

The ad highlights how important Trump remains in Ohio Republican politics after winning the state by 11 points in 2024. But it also shows the two campaigns are trying to frame the race around different issues.

Husted’s ad leans into immigration and culture-war issues. Brown, meanwhile, has been trying to focus voters on affordability and rising costs.

At campaign stops, Brown has blamed Husted for higher utility bills and rising gas prices. Brown said Husted supported the data centers that are driving utility bills up, and he supports the ongoing conflict with Iran, which has pushed gas prices higher.

“People are paying more for their electricity because of Jon Husted’s — I won’t say corruption — but his friendliness toward special interest groups,” Brown told voters at Campfire Brewing near Columbus earlier this month.

Husted’s ad pushes back by arguing he has already helped move Ohio forward through border security and tax cuts for working families.

“(Brown) tries to portray himself as an outsider in the hopes that voters will forget he lived in Washington for more than three decades,” Husted spokeswoman Amy Natoce said. “It didn’t work in 2024, and it won’t work now. It’s time he faced his failing D.C. record head-on.”

Husted was not the first candidate in the race to go negative. Earlier this month, Brown released an ad tying Husted to the late Jeffrey Epstein by pointing to campaign donations Husted received from billionaire businessman L Brands founder Leslie Wexner, a longtime Ohio political donor who had past ties to Epstein.

In February, Husted’s campaign announced he would donate campaign contributions from Les and Abigail Wexner to charity.