In Ohio Senate race, AIPAC backs Husted, J Street backs Brown — Jerusalem Post
In the race for Ohio’s seat in the U.S. Senate, Republican Jon Husted is backed by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, AIPAC, while Democrat Sherrod Brown is supported by the liberal organization J Street. The election could affect which party controls the Senate, the Jerusalem Post reports.
Husted became a senator after Ohio Governor Mike DeWine appointed him to replace J.D. Vance, who took office as U.S. vice president in January 2025. The Republican is now running to complete the remaining two years of the term. Brown had previously represented the state in the Senate for three terms, but in 2024 he lost another Ohio seat to Republican Bernie Moreno.
Contributions through AIPAC
According to the U.S. Federal Election Commission, over the entire election cycle Husted received more than $544,000 in individual contributions directed to his campaign through AIPAC. During the special primary in May, such contributions exceeded $306,000.
In April, AIPAC’s political committee directly transferred $5,000 to Husted’s campaign. Another $5,000 was directed through AIPAC in February as a third-party contribution. The campaign also received $5,000 from the political committee of the Republican Jewish Coalition.
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AIPAC spokesperson Daryn Souza explained the support for Husted by his position on U.S.-Israel relations. During his time in the Senate, he voted against advancing resolutions to restrict the sale of certain military equipment to Israel and joined a bipartisan Senate working group on combating antisemitism.
Support for Brown
J Street spokesperson Jordan Steinberg said that Brown has received more than $800,000 in this campaign from the organization’s supporters and is among the three largest recipients of its bundled contributions. According to him, the largest share of the funds came through JStreetPAC, which directs to candidates individual donations made through the J Street website. In Federal Election Commission filings, these funds are listed as individual contributions.
Brown also voted in 2024 against advancing a resolution to restrict arms sales to Israel. In 2018, he sponsored a bill that provided for security assistance to Israel through fiscal year 2028. In September, J Street announced plans to spend $3 million to seek the defeat of certain Republican candidates backed by AIPAC.
