Sherrod Brown condemned a Republican Ohio senator for failing to push back against a war in the Middle East. There was no plan to win, he told NPR, or a plan to exit.
The year was 2006. The opponent was then-U.S. Sen. Mike DeWine, who lost reelection to Brown that November.
The interview could have happened today.
Brown has made President Donald Trump's war with Iran a central tenet of his campaign against U.S. Sen. Jon Husted. The close race for Husted's seat − formerly held by Vice President JD Vance − is attracting millions of dollars in outside money and could shape which party controls the Senate.
In many ways, Iran is not Iraq. The war started under former President George
W. Bush put troops on the ground and revealed U.S. intelligence failures about weapons of mass destruction.
But Brown is betting that one consequence of the Iran war − high gas prices − will hurt Husted with voters who are already mad about the economy.
"Because there have not been a large number of casualties, because actual fighting has been over for quite a while, I think right now for most Americans, it would be the economic aspects of the war," said Herb Asher, a professor emeritus at Ohio State University. "But I think there’s also a recognition that the way the Trump administration has handled the war has been a mistake."
What do Husted, Brown say about Iran war?
The U.S. and Israel attacked Iran six months ago, and the conflict shows no signs of stopping. The U.S. and Iran reached the end of a 60-day negotiation window without a peace deal and remain deadlocked over the Strait of Hormuz, a key passageway for the world's oil.
The Trump administration has now moved away from military strikes to launch an "economic onslaught" against Iran, USA TODAY reported.
In the Senate, Husted voted 13 times against a largely symbolic war powers resolution to halt further hostilities. Husted said he's advocating for the war to end "as soon as possible" but believes Iran, if armed with a nuclear weapon, poses a threat to the U.S. and American troops around the globe.
“I want it to be brief and successful," he told the statehouse bureau in July. "I want the conflict to come to an end. I want gas prices and oil prices to go back down. They were at record lows thanks to Republicans' effort to drill and create more domestic production and build pipelines and build refineries."
Observers say the war itself likely isn't top of mind for voters. Iran took a backseat to inflation, health care and immigration as an issue in the Senate race, according to an August Fox News poll. At the same time, gas prices were a top concern for Ohioans worried about affordability in a June AARP survey.
"Gas prices fluctuate a lot," said Justin Buchler, a political scientist at Case Western Reserve University. "What tends to happen is that voters form a general impression about the direction of the economy. They will attribute the direction of the economy to the president."
Enter the Brown campaign.
Brown released an ad Aug. 24 that blasts Husted over the war, saying high gas prices have hurt Ohio families and farmers. Regular gas in Ohio sat around $4 a gallon on Aug. 25, according to AAA, while diesel averaged $5.71.
"Ohioans are seeing more money going out the door than coming in, and Husted only votes to make things worse," Brown said in a statement. "Instead of ignoring the reality of what Ohioans are facing, Jon Husted should focus on lowering costs for working families."
To navigate such attacks, Asher said, Republicans will run "scorched earth" campaigns against Democrats and attempt to distract voters from potential liabilities like Iran and inflation. Husted and his allies, for example, have dropped ads criticizing Brown on immigration and touting Husted's efforts to help survivors of human trafficking.
“When the tides are against you," Asher said, "you've got to try to change the narrative."
State government reporter Haley BeMiller can be reached at hbemiller@usatodayco.com or @haleybemiller on X.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Gas prices take center stage in Ohio Senate race as Iran war persists
