SB PM: Launch day

Sherrod Brown and The Argument enter the fray.

Today marked the start of two distinct ventures, each launched with clear purpose: one in the world of American politics, the other right here on Substack.

In Ohio, former U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown officially announced his return to the campaign trail. After narrowly losing his 2024 bid for a fourth term, Brown is seeking a political comeback in 2026, challenging Republican incumbent Senator Jon Husted in what is likely to be one of the more closely watched Senate races of the cycle.

Brown has long positioned himself as a populist Democrat with deep ties to labor unions and working-class communities. Over the years, his refusal to soften his economic message has made him a rare Democrat who consistently outperformed in a state that trends Republican. Even in 2024, when former Vice President Kamala Harris lost Ohio by 11 percentage points, Brown came up short by fewer than four.

His re-entry into the political fray comes as Senate Democrats are looking to regain ground in 2026. With no major primary opponents expected, Brown looks likely to secure the nomination and face Husted, who was appointed after Vice President J.D. Vance vacated the seat earlier this year. Though Ohio remains red-leaning, the Cook Political Report told The Hill that Brown’s name recognition and fundraising base may make the race competitive, albeit uphill.

“I didn’t plan to run for office again, but when I see what’s going on, I know I can do something about it for Ohio,” Brown said in his campaign video. “That’s why I’m running for Senate.”

And as Brown re-enters an arena familiar to him, a new venture debuts in one closer to us.

The Argument, a new publication on Substack dedicated to making the case for liberalism, officially launched today. Led by CEO and Editor-in-Chief Jerusalem Demsas, The Argument is a venue for disagreement, where daily columns will span topics ranging from abundance to AI to egalitarianism.

From Demsas’s first column, “How do we live with each other?”

The team includes Kelsey Piper (formerly of Vox’s Future Perfect), Jordan Weissmann (most recently of Yahoo Finance and Semafor), and political data expert Lakshya Jain, along with Chief of Staff Kate Crawford. (Kate is my boss, but she did not ask me to plug this project. And I’m not trying to curry favor. I am but an enthusiastic subscriber.) The publication also hosts a lineup of contributors and regular columnists Derek Thompson, Dr. Alice Evans, Matt Bruenig, Dr. Rachael Bedard, Robinson Meyer, and, in case you don’t get enough here, Matthew Yglesias. (Matt, also famously my boss, also did not ask me to write this.)