Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown is facing heat both online and from his political opponents over a resurfaced clip where he explains that the policies of President Biden are “not much different” than his.
“I’ve known him well enough over really decades now, I think he predictably will fight for workers, he will be an appealing presence in Ohio,” Brown told WKYC Channel 3 during an interview in January 2021, shortly before Biden’s inauguration.
“I know he lost Ohio. Ohio, as you point out Stephanie, is increasingly harder for a Democrat to win but I won here decisively only a couple years ago, Joe Biden’s politics now are not much different from mine and I think people will get to more and more appreciate the work he does to help people get jobs, to raise wages, to provide health and pension benefits to people and the small businesses to provide those jobs increasingly and that will matter.”
The resurfaced clip from the interview three years ago sparked criticism from many conservatives in light of Brown’s highly watched re-election campaign in a state then-President Trump won by 8 points in 2020 that many believe represents one of the best chances Republicans have to re-take control of the Senate in November.
President Biden, left, and Sen. Sherrod Brown. (Getty Images)
“And that right there folks is a huge problem,” conservative communicator Steve Guest posted on X along with the clip.
“Sherrod is going to spend the next 6 months lying to Ohio voters and pretending that he doesn’t vote with Biden virtually 100% of the time,” Donald Trump Jr. posted on X. “Don’t fall for his lies!”
A spokesperson for businessman Bernie Moreno, Brown’s Republican opponent in November, told Fox News Digital, “No matter how hard he may try, Sherrod Brown can’t run from his record as a rubber-stamp for Joe Biden’s disastrous left-wing agenda.”
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Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, is seen during Senate votes at the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2024. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
“Voting with Biden 99% of the time, Brown has helped create record inflation, a war on American energy, and an unprecedented invasion at our southern border. In November, Ohioans will retire Biden and Brown and send new leadership to D.C.”
Philip Letsou, spokesperson for the National Republican Senatorial Committee, told Fox News Digital, “Sherrod Brown is right, there’s no difference at all between him and Joe Biden.”
“That’s why Brown votes with Biden 99% of the time, working hand-in-hand to turbocharge inflation with massive spending bills, open the southern border, and flood the country with Chinese fentanyl,” Letsou added.
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President Biden speaks during a campaign event at the Martin Luther King Recreation Center in Philadelphia on Thursday, April 18, 2024. (Hannah Beier/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Brown’s race is one of four Senate races, along with Montana, Arizona, and Nevada, that the Cook Political Report ranks as a “toss up” and most political analysts believe President Biden’s record and low approval numbers will play a significant role in each of those races.
“Sherrod works for Ohio, which is why he’s stood up to presidents of both parties to block bad trade deals, worked with Republicans to make sure border patrol agents and law enforcement officers have the resources they need, and demanded the Biden Administration crack down on Chinese solar products that undercut Ohio manufacturers,” Friends of Sherrod Brown spokesperson Matt Keyes told Fox News Digital.
The campaign pointed to several examples of Brown taking policy positions different from Biden’s, including opposing the expiration of Title 42, calling on Biden to ban chinese electric vehicles and opposing Biden’s suspension of tariffs on Chinese solar power.