Obama to rally in Cleveland for Brown and Acton in tight Ohio races
Editorial illustration — Press Pass USAFormer President Barack Obama campaigns in Cleveland on Saturday alongside former Sen. Sherrod Brown and gubernatorial nominee Amy Acton, in his first Ohio campaign visit since 2018.
Brown, a three-term former senator, is seeking to unseat Republican Sen. Jon Husted in a special election for the seat once held by Vice President JD Vance. Husted was appointed in January 2025 after Vance resigned to become vice president. Acton, a former Ohio health director, faces Republican Vivek Ramaswamy for governor, succeeding term-limited Gov. Mike DeWine.
Obama endorsed Brown in a campaign video earlier this year, saying Brown “worked with me to protect Ohio jobs” and warning the race “is going to be close” and could help determine which party controls the Senate. Republicans currently hold a 53–47 Senate majority, the Associated Press noted.
The Cleveland stop is part of a wider closing push: Obama also campaigns in Detroit on Saturday for Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed and other Michigan Democrats. President Donald Trump and Vice President Vance have both visited Ohio in recent weeks to support Husted and Ramaswamy.
Ohio's marquee races have drawn a flood of campaign cash, with the November 3 midterms approaching. Brown lost his Senate seat to Republican Bernie Moreno in 2024; Acton is running to return the governor's mansion to Democrats in a state Trump carried by more than 11 points in 2024.
Sources: Associated Press (Oct 23, 2026); The Columbus Dispatch / USA Today (Oct 13, 2026).
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