EXCLUSIVE — Sen. Jon Husted (R-OH) picked up an endorsement from the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers on Tuesday, the fourth union to abandon former Sen. Sherrod Brown and back a Republican in Ohio’s 2026 Senate race.
The endorsement, first shared with the Washington Examiner, covers all three Ohio chapters and carries union support from tens of thousands of members working in heavy industry jobs including shipbuilding and mining.
“On behalf of the Boilermakers who keep Ohio’s manufacturing, rail, and energy sectors running, we proudly endorse Jon Husted to continue serving in the U.S. Senate,” said Timothy Simmons, president of the Boilermakers.
“Jon’s unwavering support for skilled trades, domestic energy production, and workforce training ensures that high-quality union jobs in power plants, refineries, and shipbuilding continue to thrive,” Simmons added.
The announcement marks a setback for Brown, whose base of labor support helped build a three-decade career in Congress. Three other unions have backed Husted, despite endorsing Brown, a Democrat, in the past: two Ohio chapters of the International Union of Operating Engineers as well as the Northwest Building and Trades Council.
The shift is part of a larger realignment in Ohio politics, as labor unions, faced with an increasingly red voting electorate and President Donald Trump’s return to the White House, are endorsing a growing number of statewide Republicans.
The endorsements also reflect Husted’s credibility with those same groups. He was appointed to the seat of Vice President JD Vance a year ago, making November his first time running for the Senate. Before the appointment, Husted had a long career in state politics, serving for well over a decade as Ohio’s secretary of state and then lieutenant governor.
“I have long-standing relationships where I’ve delivered more jobs for people in construction trades, and people that build our roads and our buildings,” Husted said in an interview ahead of the Boilermakers endorsement.
“They know that they can count on me and they can trust me,” he added.
Brown, who is attempting a political comeback after losing his Senate seat in 2024, still enjoys considerable labor backing and has to date received endorsements from 21 unions, including the United Auto Workers and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.
In a bid to undermine Husted’s blue-collar support, Brown allies have painted his vote for the One Big Beautiful Bill Act as a handout to corporate interests.
“As Ohio’s workers struggle with higher bills and rising health care costs, Husted has cut taxes for corporations and made it more profitable than ever to ship American jobs overseas,” said Austin Keyser, the Electrical Workers vice president. “Ohio needs a Senator who will stand up for its workers, not bow down to billionaires.”
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In the interview, Husted accused Brown of divisive rhetoric that pits unions against upper management.
“I have worked with both business and labor to show them that we don’t have to fight over the pie like Sherrod Brown wants to do,” Husted said. “That we can grow the pie, and everybody can get more work, higher wages, and see growth in their businesses when we all work together.”