Ohio -- The midterm elections were not very friendly to Ohio Democrats — except for one.

U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown sailed to re-election on Tuesday night, beating out Republican Congressman Jim Renacci (OH-16).

 

It was an early election night for Brown. His race was called within an hour of the polls closing in Ohio and he delivered his victory speech within the two-hour mark.

“When you love this country, you fight for the people who make it work,” Brown said during his speech.

 

Ohio’s only Democrat to hold statewide office stayed on message as many of his fellow party members lost their bids, including gubernatorial candidate Rich Cordray and OH-12 candidate Danny O’Connor.

“You all showed the country that progressives can win and win decisively in the heartland,” Brown told supporters.

 

He beat Renacci by more than 200,000 votes after a campaign filled with exaggerated attacks from both sides.

Renacci tried riding the Trump train into office. He appeared with the president several times at rallies and campaigned largely on Trump’s agenda, along with his own background as a businessman.

But Brown’s political legacy in Ohio, his record-setting fundraising of nearly $30 million, and his message to the state’s working class proved enough to secure six more years in office.

He said in his speech that how Ohio embraces workers is part of the blueprint of America for 2020.

“We do not appeal to some by pushing others down,” he added. “We do not lie. We do not engage in hate speech. And we do not rip children from their families at the border.”

And with another victory in the books for him, Brown will continue rising as a star in the Democratic Party. Though he just won re-election for the Senate, his name has already been floated for the 2020 presidential race.

He ended his election night speech by saying: “This is our America. We will never yield the hallowed ground of patriotism to extremists.”​