Democrat Sherrod Brown will return to the U.S. Senate after defeating Republican incumbent Jon Husted in Ohio's Nov. 3 special election, the Associated Press projected.

The AP called the race with 87% of votes counted, according to its results page. At that point, unofficial totals showed Brown with 2,017,362 votes (48.6%) to Husted's 1,928,646 (46.5%). Libertarian Bill Redpath collected 2.8% and independent Greg Levy took 2%.

The Ohio Capital Journal reported the AP projection came at 11:11 p.m. The result flips the seat for Democrats as they seek control of the Senate.

Suburban gains mattered

Lee Hannah, a political scientist at Wright State University, told the Ohio Capital Journal that Brown's margin came from suburban counties and cities rather than rural Ohio.

"In some of these suburban counties and some of the cities, he's up about 5% if those margins hold," Hannah said. "My guess is that he didn't convert a lot of people in rural areas, but turnout wasn't as high there."

That suburban pattern is worth watching for Cuyahoga County communities like Strongsville, North Royalton, Brecksville and Broadview Heights. Precinct-level results for those communities were not available at the time of the AP call.

A costly comeback

Brown, 73, mounted a rare political comeback. No senator since 1988 had returned to the chamber after losing a reelection bid, CBS News reported. Brown lost to Republican Bernie Moreno in 2024 by about 3.5 percentage points after representing Ohio in the Senate from 2007 to 2025.

The race became one of the most expensive non-presidential contests in U.S. history. Advertising spending and reservations topped $500 million before the final week, according to AdImpact, as NBC4 reported. Brown's campaign reported $68.4 million in receipts through Oct. 14. Husted's campaign reported $19.9 million.

Republican outside groups poured in tens of millions more. The cryptocurrency industry alone spent about $54 million supporting Husted, Spectrum News 1 reported, topping the $40 million it spent in 2024 to help defeat Brown. Elon Musk funneled more than $7 million to independent groups backing Husted, the Ohio Capital Journal reported in October.

Data centers and affordability drove the debate

Affordability dominated the campaign. Brown focused on prescription drug costs, utility bills and data center expansion. He labeled Husted "the face of data centers," pointing to Husted's promotion of data center investment while serving as lieutenant governor under Gov. Mike DeWine.

Husted defended his economic development record and backed the administration's tax cuts. He introduced the Ratepayer Protection Act, which would have required state utility commissions to consider making data centers pay for their own energy use. The bill passed the U.S. House but stalled in the Senate.

The data center issue carried weight across northeast Ohio, where electricity costs and large-scale development have drawn attention from residents and local officials.

What happens next

Brown will serve the remaining two years of the term originally won by JD Vance, who resigned to become vice president in January 2025. DeWine appointed Husted to fill the vacancy. The seat returns to the ballot in 2028 for a full six-year term.