Senator Sherrod Brown

Party: Democrat
State: Ohio
What you need to know: Senator Brown holds a 100% rating with Council for a Livable World.

Democrat - Incumbent
Endorsed for U.S. Senate by Council for a Livable World

First-term Senator Sherrod Brown is the most prominent elected Democrat in Ohio. An unabashed progressive, he is one of the most articulate and respected spokespeople for progressive causes in the United States, especially on universal health care, labor, reproductive rights, responsible gun ownership and gay marriage.

Totally committed to nuclear arms control and responsible national security policies, Brown has the voting record to match. On the two most recent Council for a Livable World Nuclear Arms Race Voting Records, he achieved a perfect 100%.

Brown was a strong proponent this past December of the New START nuclear arms reduction treaty, helping to beat back amendments designed to undermine the treaty.

Brown is one of the top Republican targets in the 2012 electons. Republicans are determined to win control of the Senate as well as the House of Representatives. A crucial battleground state, Ohio will help decide the choice of our next President as well.

Ohio is a swing state in both national and state elections. While Democrats did well in the Buckeye State in 2006 and 2008, Republicans came roaring back in 2010, capturing the governorship, winning an open Senate seat and capturing five of the ten Democratic seats in the House of Representatives. Sherrod Brown and President Obama can win in Ohio in 2012, but only with your help.

Sherrod Brown was born and raised in Mansfield, Ohio. A political activist since high school, he was inspired by his mother, a native of Georgia who was an early supporter of the civil rights movement. At Yale, he split his time between Russian studies and campaign work for liberal candidates.

Back home in Ohio after graduation, he beat the Republican State House incumbent in a stunning upset. After eight years in the State House, Brown was elected Secretary of State twice. His only electoral defeat came in 1990 when he lost a race for Secretary of State. In 1992, elected to Congress, he was an aggressive advocate for 14 years before defeating an incumbent Republican Senator in 2006 with 56% of the vote.

In the Senate, Brown has been a strong advocate for passage of New START nuclear reductions treaty. He stated:

The New START treaty makes us safer, reduces the number of nuclear weapons our grandchildren will have to pay for, and will maintain America’s strong military and global leadership in non-proliferation. Because of bipartisan involvement, we passed a stronger treaty that will allow for a 21st-century approach to missile defense and prevention of nuclear proliferation.

Republicans think that Senator Brown is beatable, but they are having trouble recruiting a candidate to make the run. Most likely is Josh Mandel, who was elected state treasurer in 2010. Now, after only a few months in his new office, he may run for Senate. Another possible candidate is former Secretary of State Ken Blackwell.

Brown had $2.5 million in his campaign account at the end of the first quarter of 2011, but needs to raise at least $15 million, and we think he can do it.

A public opinion poll in mid-March showed Brown ahead of any potential challenger. Another has 45% of Ohio voters agreeing that Brown deserves re-election, a positive number in current polling.

Council for a Livable World believes that Sherrod Brown has been an influential addition to the U.S. Senate. The nation needs him there for the next term. He is a committed progressive and a hard worker.

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