Sherrod Brown Decides Against 2020 Presidential Run, Democratic Ohio Senator Decides To Stay Put

Ohio Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown has officially decided that he will not be running for president in 2020. Brown had been making appearances and exploring the possibility of a run in recent weeks, and he had many supporters anxious to see him go for it. However, in a field that has already become quite crowded, it seems the Ohio politican has chosen to stay in the position he already has.

The Daily Beast details that Sen. Sherrod Brown made the announcement on Thursday. He noted that he and his wife, writer and Kent State professor Connie Schultz, have spent the past few months touring the country to get out their “Dignity of Work” message. He notes that they’re grateful to everybody who welcomed them and they’re pleased to see other Democratic candidates embracing the dignity of work message.

Brown added that he believes using the dignity of work value and message to unite voters is how current President Trump can be beat. In addition, Brown says he plans on ensuring this dignity of work message remains a focus in the upcoming campaign.

It has quickly become a crowded field on the Democratic side with a couple of notable possible candidates still waiting to announce their decision regarding whether they will run. As much as Brown’s supporters were cheering over the idea that he would run for president, he says he has decided that he will remain in the Senate.

This week, GM is set to lay off thousands of workers in Lordstown, Ohio and around the country. And what’s the President’s response?

Boasting nonsense and rubbing salt in these workers’ wounds. https://t.co/2mXTqZ0AsV pic.twitter.com/XnxTmGLWev

— Sherrod Brown (@SenSherrodBrown) March 5, 2019

“I will keep calling out Donald Trump and his phony populism. I will keep fighting for all workers across the country. And I will do everything I can to elect a Democratic President and a Democratic Senate in 2020. The best place for me to make that fight is in the United States Senate.”

Granted, there are a fair number of people on the left who have been floating the idea of Brown running on the upcoming Democratic ticket as a vice presidential candidate rather than president. While, for now, Brown details that he’ll stay in the Senate, the speculation over having him step up as a vice president candidate will likely continue.

With Sherrod officially removing his name as a potential candidate, many on the left will likely now turn their attention to wait on official decisions from the likes of Joe Biden and Beto O’Rourke. The Atlantic noted that in recent days, Jeff Merkley, Eric Holder, and Michael Bloomberg have all also announced that they will not run as candidates.

Even with Sherrod Brown bowing out, there are more than a dozen people who have said they are officially running for the 2020 Democratic nomination, and there are other potential candidates considering their options. It’ll take some time yet before the field is whittled down in any significant way, and people will be anxious to see where things stand when the dust begins to settle.