Ohio Democratic Senate candidate Sherrod Brown told the Columbus Dispatch in an October 9 interview that he would not back impeaching President Donald Trump, regardless of the midterm outcome. "I can't speak for everybody else, but I would not support an impeachment of Trump," Brown said, adding: "There's simply no reason for that, no matter what happens in the midterms."
The position carries particular weight because of Brown's own history. He voted to convict Trump in both the 2020 and 2021 Senate impeachment trials, joining other Democrats and seven Republicans in 2021 following the January 6 attack on the Capitol. Trump was acquitted both times in the Senate, where a two-thirds majority of 67 votes would have been needed to convict, a threshold that has made Senate conviction a steep climb in every modern impeachment.
Brown's remarks address a theme Republicans have pressed throughout the campaign, claiming that Democrats will try to impeach Trump if they retake Congress in the midterms. His answer places him on record, three weeks before voters decide the special election for Vice President JD Vance's former seat, as opposed to reopening the question in a potential new Congress. Brown currently leads appointed incumbent Jon Husted in recent polling, with CNN/SSRS showing him ahead 49% to 43%.