Sherrod Brown

U.S. House

Brown won the open U.S. House seat from Ohio’s 13th Congressional District in 1992 against Republican millionaire Margaret Mueller. Campaigning against the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and for universal health care, Brown earned labor support and won by almost 20 points.

Brown served in the House for the next 14 years, and made a name for himself with fights against NAFTA, the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), and American trade relations with China. He hasn’t faced a tough reelection bid since the year of the Republican takeover in 1994, when he beat a Republican and two independents with 49 percent of the vote.

Brown voted against the resolution allowing the president to use force in Iraq and co-sponsored legislation that would have required troop withdrawals as early as 2006. Brown often read letters from anti-war constituents on the House floor.Hayes, Christopher, “Who Is Sherrod Brown?,” In These Times, Nov. 21, 2005

In 2005 Brown announced that he would not run for governor of Ohio, a long-time flirtation. That same year, he first said he would not challenge incumbent Republican Sen. Mike DeWine. Months later he changed his mind. The other key Democratic candidate, Iraq war veteran Paul Hackett, eventually dropped out and accused Brown of reneging on a promised endorsement. The two later reconciled.

Brown won the primary easily and positioned himself as a populist progressive. DeWine was damaged by the waning popularity of President George W. Bush, scandals in the state Republican party, and his own votes to tighten gun restrictions. Carrying the urban centers and the coal and steel counties, Brown won 56 to 44 percent, despite spending $10.5 million to DeWine’s $14 million.Almanac of American Politics, 2008 edition, National Journal

In the Senate, Brown sits on five committees: Agriculture, Nutrition & Forestry; Banking, Housing & Urban Affairs; Select Committee on Ethics; Health, Education, Labor & Pensions; and Veterans’ Affairs.

Brown married Pulitzer Prize-winning Cleveland Plain Dealer columnist Connie Schultz in 2004.  His first marriage ended in divorce in 1987. He has two adult children and two adult stepchildren.

He is the author of "Myths of Free Trade: Why American Trade Policy Has Failed" and "Congress from the Inside: Observations from the Majority and the Minority."

The Economy

Brown voted for President Obama’s $787 billion economic stimulus package in February 2009, calling it “a significant jumpstart that our economy needs.” It passed the Senate 60 to 38.Associated Press. “Senate Roll Call: How they voted on stimulus bill,” Yahoo! News, Feb. 13, 2009,

In October 2008, Brown voted for the $700 billion bailout package that passed the Senate 74 to 25.The Senate Bailout Vote, Politico, Oct. 1, 2008, Before the vote, Brown said in a statement, “Middle class Ohioans should not have to pay for Wall Street’s mistakes. That message has been loud and clear. If we do not pass this economic stabilization plan, Ohio’s middle class will pay even more for Wall Street’s greed.”“Brown Statement on Financial Stabilization Plan Vote,” Sen. Sherrod Brown’s Web site, Oct. 1, 2008,

Trade

Since his first campaign for the Ohio House of Representatives, Brown has made pro-labor measures an important part of his platform. He has consistently opposed free trade agreements, like NAFTA and Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), which he says reward low wages and poor working conditions and threaten American jobs. He has also pushed for better enforcement of labor laws in China as they pertain to American trade and for increases in the federal minimum wage. All of this has helped make him popular back home with his union constituents.

Brown has said that the deciding factor in his decision to run for the Senate in 2006 was the passage, by two votes, of the CAFTA in 2005 by a Republican-led House.Candidate profile, Cleveland.com,

Health Care

When he came to Congress, Brown pledged to refuse the congressional health plan until every Ohioan had health insurance—a pledge he has kept in the Senate. Brown was a tireless champion of reform with a public option, but supported passage of President Obama's March 2010 reform bill without it.Brown press release, March 23, 2010

Brown is an advocate for children's health. He was key to passage of the Children's Health Act of 2000 and worked closely with children's-health advocates to see the bill become law. One of the most sucessful titles of that act improved care and research for children with autism. Brown biography, accessed July 6, 2010

As the ranking Democrat on the House Energy and Commerce Health subcommittee, Brown sponsored bus trips to Canada for Americans to buy prescription drugs. He has also pushed for increased funding for Medicaid and worldwide tuberculosis treatment.