Sherrod Brown

Sherrod Brown, a Democrat, has represented the state of Ohio in the Senate since 2006.

Environmental record
For more information on environmental legislation, see the Energy and Environment Policy Portal

Background
Brown was born November 9, 1952 in Mansfield, Ohio. He became an Eagle Scout in 1967. Brown received a bachelor of arts degree in Russian studies from Yale University in 1974 and a master of arts degree in education and public administration from Ohio State University in 1981. He taught at the Mansfield branch campus of Ohio State University from 1979 to 1981.

Brown is married to Connie Schultz, is a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist for Cleveland's Plain Dealer newspaper.

Brown served as an Ohio state representative from 1975 to 1982. He was one of the youngest state representatives in Ohio history. In 1982, he won a four-way Democratic primary that included Dennis Kucinich, now a Cleveland Congressman, then defeated Republican Virgil Brown in the general election for the office of Ohio Secretary of State, succeeding Anthony J. Celebrezze Jr.. In 1986, Brown won re-election as secretary of state, defeating Vincent C. Campanella. In 1990, Brown lost when trying for a third term as secretary of state to Republican Bob Taft.

Congressional Career
In 1992, Brown ran for a seat in the United States House of Representatives and won.

In 2001, when the Republican-controlled legislature threatened to gerrymander him out of office, Brown threatened to run for governor in 2002. The Republicans backed down, preserving Brown's majority Democratic district, and Brown stayed in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Brown was an Ohio delegate to the 2000 Democratic National Convention. He was an unpledged delegate to the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston.

In 2005, Brown led the Democratic effort to block the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). For many months, Brown worked as whip on the issue, securing Democratic "nay" votes and seeking Republican allies. After several delays, the House of Representatives finally voted on CAFTA after midnight on July 28, 2005. Keeping the roll call open well past the 15 minute standard, the House approved CAFTA by a vote of 217 to 215. CAFTA effectively passed by one vote - a tie would have resulted in a defeat.

Brown cites this stinging outcome as the impetus for the next stage of his career: running for the U.S. Senate.

2006 Senate race
In the summer of 2005, Brown announced he would not run for the U. S. Senate seat held by Republican Mike DeWine. That fall, however, Brown reconsidered his decision to enter the ring. This announcement came shortly after Democrat Paul Hackett also stated that he would soon announce his candidacy. Within Ohio, Brown's decades of involvement in Ohio politics, including his years in statewide office, have given him high name recognition amongst Ohioans and a considerable fundraising advantage. In addition to his Senate campaign, Brown also helped to support Reform Ohio Now to promote several state jurisdictional changes on the ballot in November 2005.

Brown stated at the outset of his campaign that he wanted to show the contrasts between himself and Sen. DeWine. Brown has done this by not shying away from what many consider a "liberal" record in the House and what he calls a "progressive" record. Brown has campaigned as a populist on the economy, continuing to trumpet his long opposition to free trade agreements. Brown stated in his stump speeches, "We have a government in Washington that has betrayed the middle class and the working poor in this country.You know what I mean when I say 'betrayed.' There's no other word for it. And I'm not one of those Democrats who is going to hesitate to talk about that betrayal. The stakes are too high for places like this."

Brown also trumpeted his vote against the congressional authorization to go to war in Iraq. He also publicly refused to accept the congressional health care plan until Congress passes universal health care legislation. 

Brown defeated DeWine 56%-44% to take possession of his Senate seat.

Money in politics
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Committees in the 110th Congress (2007-2008)

 * Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
 * Subcommittee on Nutrition and Food Assistance, Sustainable and Organic Agriculture, and General Legislation
 * Subcommittee on Energy, Science and Technology
 * Subcommittee on Production, Income Protection and Price Support
 * Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
 * Subcommittee on Economic Policy
 * Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation, and Community Development
 * Subcommittee on International Trade and Finance
 * Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
 * Subcommittee on Employment & Workplace Safety
 * Subcommittee on Retirement & Aging
 * Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs

Committee assignments in the 109th Congress (2005-2006)

 * House Committee on Energy and Commerce
 * Subcommittee on Commerce Trade and Consumer Protection
 * Subcommittee on Health - Ranking Minority Member
 * Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet
 * House Committee on International Relations
 * Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific

Articles and Resources

 * Official website
 * Official U.S. Senate Campaign site
 * Grow Ohio, Sherrod Brown's Ohio Senatorial Campaign Blog
 * See how you compare to Sherrod Brown

Articles

 * Christopher Hayes, "Who is Sherrod Brown?," In These Times, November 21, 2005.
 * The Editors, "A Talk with Sherrod," American Prospect, March 13, 2006.
 * Jim Tankersley, "Rep. Brown often flies at expense of private groups, review finds," toledo Blade, April 3, 2006.
 * Jim Tankersley, "Rival targets DeWine for taking funds from oil firms," Toledo Blade, May 13, 2006.
 * Jim Tankersley, Brown not running from his record," Toledo Blade, June 11, 2006.
 * Dan Gilgoff, "Hot Spot," U.S. News & World Report, June 19, 2006.
 * Howie Klein, "Blue America: Sherrod Brown, OH-Sen," firedoglake, August 16, 2006.
 * Carl Chancellor, "Brown takes on the role of challenger," Akron Beacon-Journal, September 3, 2006.
 * John Nichols, "What Can Sherrod Brown Do for the Democrats?," The Nation, September 25, 2006.
 * Elizabeth Auster, "Economy is No. 1 in Ohio elections," Cleveland Plain Dealer, October 2, 2006.
 * David Kirkpatrick, "Concentration of Competitive Races Puts Ohio at Center of Midterm Battle," New York Times, October 31, 2006.
 * Jeffrey H. Birnbaum, "Democrats' Victory Is Felt On K Street," Washington Post, November 23, 2006.

From Sherrod Brown

 * With Byron Dorgan, "How Free Trade Hurts," Washington Post, December 23, 2006. re free trade

Local blogs and discussion sites

 * Psychobilly Democrat
 * As Ohio Goes
 * Writes Like She Talks
 * Pho's Akron Pages
 * Callahan's Cleveland Diary

Published Works by Sherrod Brown

 * Congress from the Inside: Observations from the Majority and the Minority ISBN 0873386302
 * Myths of Free Trade: Why American Trade Policy Has Failed ISBN 1565849280