Democrat Sherrod Brown says he will try to return to US Senate in 2026

WASHINGTON, Aug 18 (Reuters) - Democrat Sherrod Brown of Ohio said on Monday he would try to return to the U.S. Senate seat in next year's midterm elections, a development that could bolster his party's chances of winning back control of the chamber.

Brown, 72, said U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs and health-care cuts prompted him to return to politics.

"I didn't plan to run for office again. But when I see what's going on, I know I can do something about it for Ohio," Brown said in a video posted to social media.

Brown served for 18 years in the Senate before he lost 50.1%-46.5% to Republican Bernie Moreno last November. He built a reputation as a champion for blue-collar workers in Ohio, an industrial state that has lost jobs to globalization. The state, once a political battleground, has trended increasingly Republican over the past decade.

Brown will likely face Republican Senator John Husted, who was appointed in January to temporarily fill the seat vacated by JD Vance when he became vice president. Husted previously served as Ohio's lieutenant governor.

The winner of the November 2026 special election would serve the remainder of Vance's Senate term, ending in January 2029.

Analysts say it will be difficult for Democrats to pick up the four seats they will need to win back control of the Senate, which now has a 53-47 Republican majority.

The nonpartisan Cook Political Report said Brown, the only Democrat to win statewide office in the past two decades, will make the race competitive and moved its rating from "likely Republican" to "lean Republican."