U.S. Senate candidate Sherrod Brown says he would not support impeaching President Donald Trump if Brown is elected in November.
Republicans have said Democrats will try to impeach Trump if they retake Congress in the midterms. In an Oct. 9 interview, Brown told The Dispatch he would not be in favor of impeaching the president.
"I can't speak for everybody else, but I would not support an impeachment of Trump. There's just simply no reason for that, no matter what happens in the midterms," Brown told The Dispatch.
House Speaker Mike Johnson has warned Republicans that Democrats are already laying the groundwork for impeachment. He said GOP voters need to turn out to help stop Democrats from regaining control of Congress.
“It’s guaranteed, probably
on the first day – first or second day,” Johnson said in an interview with conservative commentator Scott Jennings. “Remember, they’ve already filed articles of impeachment in this Congress. And they’re raring to go.”
Brown, a former Democratic senator who served for 18 years, is running against U.S. Sen. Jon Husted, who was appointed to fill the role vacated by U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance. Brown lost his seat in 2024 to Republican U.S. Sen. Bernie Moreno. Husted has Trump's endorsement.
Brown also expressed his willingness to work on bipartisan legislation, citing his efforts with Republican lawmakers on the East Palestine train derailment and his history of working with former senator Rob Portman.
"So I know they're going to hit me on all kinds of illegitimate issues, as they have, but I stand by the work I've done and I'll be able to work with presidents of either party and majorities of either party," Brown said.
Brown twice voted to convict Trump on articles of impeachment during Trump's first term.
In 2021, Brown was among 57 senators who voted to convict Trump following the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, joining other Democrats and seven Republicans. Trump was acquitted in the vote after he was impeached for the second time by the U.S. House of Representatives.
Those who voted to acquit sent a clear message to our country and the world:
— Sherrod Brown (@SenSherrodBrown) February 13, 2021
Violent attacks on our citizens, our democracy, and the will of the people have no consequences. pic.twitter.com/FUmarLM22V
At the time, Brown told reporters he believed Trump was a threat to national security.
Brown also voted in 2020 to convict Trump during his first impeachment trial, from which Trump was also acquitted.
The Dispatch reported that Brown led Husted 47% to 44% in a Suffolk University/USA TODAY Ohio Network poll of likely voters released Sept. 30. The survey, which has a 4.4% margin of error, is among several to place Brown and Husted in a dead heat as both parties clamor for control of the Senate. A Marist Poll showed Brown with a lead over Husted of 51% to 43% with a margin of error of 3.8%.
USA TODAY reporter Fernando Cervtantes Jr. contributed reporting.
Cole Behrens covers K-12 education and school districts in central Ohio. Have a tip? Contact Cole at cbehrens@dispatch.com or connect with him on X at @Colebehr_report
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Sherrod Brown says he would not support Trump impeachment if elected
