Sherrod Brown decides against 2020 White House bid

After making a series of trips to key voting states and exploring the possibility of a run for President, Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio announced on Thursday that he would remain in the Senate, pledging to do all he can to help Democrats win back the White House and full control of the Congress.

“I will do everything I can to elect a Democratic President and a Democratic Senate in 2020,” Brown said in a written statement issued as he was speaking on the Senate floor against a judicial nomination made by President Trump.

“The best place for me to make that fight is in the United States Senate,” the Ohio Democrat added.

Fresh off his re-election victory in Ohio last November, Brown had created some buzz among Democrats simply because he was a Democratic winner in 2018, going against the Republican tide in the Buckeye State.

Brown is the second Democratic Senator to decide this week against a bid for the White House; Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) also opted not to throw his hat in the ring.

While Brown won’t be running for President, some political experts still wonder if he could be a possible candidate for Vice President.

Brown’s announcement was sent out to reporters just as he was giving a speech on the Senate floor, sternly criticizing the type of judicial nominees being sent to the Senate by President Trump.

At one point, Brown opened the door to the floor of the Senate, pointing down the hall toward the offices of the Senate Majority Leader, making his familiar complaint that lobbyists and special interest groups hold too much power with Congress and the Republicans in charge of the Senate.

About the Author