COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio's labor unions have traditionally supported Democratic candidates, but in recent years, some have started shifting to the right. Despite this, former Senator Sherrod Brown is still outperforming his party.
Ohio's major gems, like the Rock Hall of Fame, each football stadium and entertainment districts were all built by the state's union workers.
"Labor's the center of it," union worker Austin Keyser said.
Ohio unions also helped build the careers of Keyser and Michael Bertolone.
"I'm very grateful for everything I've got up to this point because of Local 18," Bertolone said.
Bertolone is the business manager of the International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 18 (IUOE Local 18) with 16,000 fellow workers, while Keyser is the international vice president of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), but is based out of the union's fourth district in Ohio. Total, IBEW has about 860,000 members.
Keeping labor rights and access to projects is guiding the pair when it comes to the 2026 US Senate race.
"Having strong, strong advocates is very, very important," Keyser said.
But they’ve come to different conclusions when deciding between Democrat Sherrod Brown and Republican Jon Husted.
"Sherrod Brown has done it for decades; there's no better advocate," Keyser said. "He is literally the conscience of labor."
IBEW's national overall and so far six of its local branches, 21,000 Ohioans, have endorsed Brown.
IUOE Local 18 endorsed Husted.
"Jon has put in the time and effort with the operating engineers to earn that endorsement," Bertolone said. "He's done so much in the state of Ohio."
Historically, labor unions have voted for Democrats. Over the past decade, Case Western Reserve University business law professor Eric Chaffee explained that there has been a move to the right.
"There's been really a shift in values in regard to Republicans," Chaffee said. "They've tried to tap into populism, the everyday person, what they might want."
Many union workers have felt left behind by progressive candidates, he said.
"The Democrats have definitely become more coastal than what they were, more focused on big cities, more focused on certain identities," the professor said.
This is why Local 18 went for Husted, Bertolone said. It’s one of the few endorsements that Husted snatched from Brown — ones that the Democrat won in 2024.
"We haven't developed a relationship with Sherrod Brown," Bertolone said. "The time and the effort just was not put in."
Brown pushed back against that.
"Husted has been gaining more union support in recent months than other Republicans—" I started to say when talking to Brown at a Columbus event in December.
"What are those?" he asked, to which I responded about one of the Cleveland unions.
Brown wasn't impressed.
"Well, he just really doesn't; that's his spin," Brown said. "One endorsement of one union and then a regional kind of — I've overwhelmingly got support of unions because I've worked with unions."
Brown outperformed Democrats all across the country in 2024, barely losing to U.S. Senator Bernie Moreno despite the Red Wave. Ohioans we spoke to said he was popular with each side of the aisle due to his focus on working families.
While Husted has gained five labor endorsements with a membership of 70,000 workers nationally, Brown has seven times the number of unions backing him, representing millions of laborers. His support ranges from builders to airline workers to teachers.
"I've worked alongside them, I've promoted supporting workers and giving them a fair shake," Brown continued.
Husted argued that many of Brown’s endorsements come from national unions.
"I wanna get endorsed by Ohio unions, the people who actually live and work in Ohio, and that's where we're doing quite well," Husted said.
But just looking at local endorsements, Brown eclipses Husted with 15 Ohio-based endorsements to his four.
Even though Husted may support unions and did help labor during his time as lieutenant governor, Keyser said, he votes for policies in the U.S. Senate that don't.
"Husted has now voted several times for these tariffs," Keyser said. "It's terrible for our economy, it's terrible for workers, and it's terrible for Ohio."
RELATED: U.S. Sen Jon Husted not in lockstep with Trump on tariffs
Both candidates will continue courting workers as affordability has become, so far, the top issue in this election.
Gubernatorial
While Brown is the reigning king when it comes to labor endorsements, it's because of who he is — not his party affiliation, Keyser said. Even Bertolone admitted that Brown has spent decades working for unions.
The gubernatorial race is another story, though.
At least one union has endorsed both Brown and the GOP-endorsed candidate for governor, Vivek Ramaswamy.
As of November, Ramaswamy had 10 labor endorsements — overlapping Brown with the Central Midwest Regional Council of Carpenters (CMRCC).
Democratic candidate Amy Acton has also gained nine labor endorsements, including both manufacturing and education unions.
IUOE Local 18 decided to endorse Ramaswamy, while IBEW hasn't chosen yet. Keyser believes they are leaning toward Acton, because she has strong labor beliefs and isn't a "billionaire."
He accused Ramaswamy of being "anti-labor" due to his previous comments advocating for cuts to federal workers and the abolishment of teachers' unions. Bertolone defended their choice.
"The teachers' union — I am not sure what issues are on that side of the aisle," Bertolone said. "Those are not our issues. We don't focus on any of those."
Keyser said that comment goes directly against what unions are about.
"The unions who are good citizens of the labor movement and understand the fight and the struggle that we're all in together, understand strength and unity in numbers," Keyser said. "It's the purpose of a labor union, and to walk away from that principle is kind of scary."
Presidential
Working-class voters also were key to helping elect President Donald Trump, Chaffee said.
"Whoever really captures the next presidential election probably is going to have to figure out how to tap into labor," the professor said.
In a break from endorsing Democrats, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters didn't endorse in 2024.
Although union members mainly voted for former Vice President Kamala Harris, Chaffee said that Trump's labor support helped him win swing states.
Interests
So why would people vote or endorse against their own interests? Chaffee said it's complicated.
"The Republican party is not monolithic," Chaffee said. "There are different factions of it; some of them are more pro-labor than others."
Examples of mainly pro-labor Republicans include Husted, he added.
"Labor is moving towards candidates who show up," Bertolone said. "For Local 18 to look at it from a Democratic or a Republican standpoint, that just isn't good politics and that's not going to benefit our members."
If workers believe there are two pro-union candidates, some may vote based on other stances that the politician has, Chaffee said.
But Keyser accuses unions that endorse Republicans of caving. Due to how districts are drawn in the state, sometimes endorsing is about survival, he said.
"You have to work with who's there, we're not trying to march our members into a massacre, we're trying to get policy outcomes," Keyser said. "I'd much rather play offense than defense."
Chaffee said there is truth to Keyser's assertion.
"There are going to be instances where they make choices based upon who they think is going to win, even if that candidate may not be the candidate that they would ideally like to win," the professor said. "Sometimes you just have to accept that one candidate is gonna win over the other and then try and make the best of the situation."
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