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Senator Sherrod Brown Democrat of Ohio

For U.S Senate in 2012

Statistics

Party: Democrat
Born: November 9, 1952; Mansfield, Ohio
Education: Yale U. B.A. 1974; Ohio State U. M.A.1979 (education) M.A. 1981 (public administration)
Occupation:
Family: Wife, Connie Schultz; two children, two stepchildren
Religion: Lutheran
Political Career: Ohio House 1975-83; Ohio Secretary of State 1983-91; U.S. House 1993-2007; Senate 2006-present
Committees: Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry; Appropriations; Ethics; Veterans Affairs

Why Your Support

Senator Sherrod Brown can be counted on to take strong and principled stands on issues affecting workers in job-ravaged Ohio – and others who are being squeezed out of the American dream. He is circulating an online petition: “Stand With Me Against Pay-to-Play Electioneering. The recent 5-4 Supreme Court decision lifted campaign spending limits for corporations. Now if the big banks on Wall Street don’t like what Congress proposes, they can try to buy a legislature more to their liking. Stand with me to demand no corporation may spend from its treasury without the express approval of its owners. If the Supreme Court is going to treat corporations as persons with full First Amendment rights, then you and I need to make sure real people are making those decisions.” This petition should be enough to warrant your support.

But you can add to that Sen. Brown’s perfect record on JAC’s issues both as a member of the House and in his first term in the Senate. When the new leadership in the House threatened to cut the overall foreign aid bill, hence slashing foreign assistance to Israel, Senator Brown took action. He sent a letter to the Chairmen of the House Appropriations and Budget Committees, along with several of his colleagues, warning against cutting allocations to Israel, noting that Israel’s security is linked to America’s safety and interests in the region.
In the health care debate, Senator Brown demonstrated his support for women’s reproductive health rights. He voted in favor of a measure to table (kill) an amendment that sought to deny medical abortion coverage to women, paying for the procedure out of their own funds, under the new health care system. For his action on the issues relating to women’s reproductive rights, Senator Brown has received a 100% approval rating from NARAL. He has repeatedly voted against measures seeking to make it more difficult for minors to receive the procedure, including parental notification and travel restriction proposals. In addition, since his early days in Congress, Senator Brown has voted to expand access to contraceptives for low-income women, and sought to promote overall education and access on women’s health initiatives.

The political and economic climate in the country, and especially in Ohio, makes Brown vulnerable. Ohio voters defeated the incumbent Democratic governor to elect a former GOP congressman who is now taking on the unions. Former state Senator Kevin Coughlin and State Treasurer Josh Mandel are among the Republican challengers for  the seat. Mandel has received some backing in the Jewish community although he is right wing on social issues. Brown fits JAC's criteria perfectly and we must do everything we can to return him to office.

Background

Ohio was the first state formed from the Northwest Territory. The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 established townships, set up one square mile per township for public schools, prohibited slavery, and laid the foundation for a “literate republic.” Ohio is politically a closely divided state and a pivotal one for both parties and any presidential candidate. Ohio has not voted for the loser in a presidential campaign since 1960. Bill Clinton carried the state twice but by very narrow margins. Ohio Republicans won smashing victories in 1994 and 1998 and did okay in 1996 and 2000. In 2006, Ohio turned against the Republicans, elected both a Democratic governor and a Democratic Senator, Sherrod Brown. The trend continued in 2008 and Obama took 52% of the vote. But, the recession hit the state hard.  Job losses and one of the lowest rates of business start-ups in the country caused voters to look to the GOP for answers, electing a conservative Republican governor and a former member of George W. Bush’s cabinet as the junior Senator.

About The Candidate

Sherrod Brown is a reliable progressive vote in the Senate. He represented Ohio’s 13th district for 14 years and gained a reputation as a spokesman and advocate for ordinary Ohioans and middle-class families. He was a leader on health care issues in the House and helped lead efforts to pass health care reform in the Senate. As chairman of a Senate Nutrition subcommittee, he is working to ensure that our nation’s children do not go to bed hungry at night.  He opposed the war in Iraq from the beginning, voting against the war authorization while working to make sure the troops get the body armor they need and the health care they deserve.  Senator Brown is married to Connie Schultz, a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist for the Cleveland Plain Dealer. In addition to his career in public service, Senator Brown has authored two novels: Congress from the Inside: Observations from the Majority and the Minority, and Myths of Free Trade: Why American Trade Policy has Failed.  

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