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Open in TheBrain

Brown, Sherrod Sen

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CLIMATEHAWK BEAT 11 24 CRYPTO

promoted to primary 6/16 ~ TPP

corp pers

sadly bow out 2018, could do well ~ djt midwest

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aha close // climate and ~ corruption (28th?)  combo of smart, ethical and safe seat?

spkr at am promise 1019

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AN 9 26 CRYPTO KRIGMAN

On Tuesday, a Nobel Prize-winning economist warned that a “scheme” is in the works to influence the midterm results and buy the favor of the winning candidates, having already bought favor with President Donald Trump and his sons. This is according to Paul Krugman, who warns that while cryptocurrency “has not succeeded in creating a viable business in the normal sense, it has been extraordinarily successful at buying political influence – and they’re set to do it again.”

“The midterm elections look – based upon polling, based upon just impressions – look like a big blue wave,” says Krugman. “Elliot Morris gives the Democrats a 97 percent chance of taking the House and two-to-one odds of taking the Senate. But there’s still a few weeks to go and it looks like there’s a big wave of right-wing money that’s going to come crashing in. We don’t know how effective that will be. The role of money in politics, particularly of last-minute advertising blitzes, is somewhat unclear. But it is coming and crypto is going to be a pretty big part of it.” He notes that the crypto industry spent big in 2024 and is poised to spend even more in 2026 – an unusual move for a midterm cycle.

“But this industry is going to go all in,” asserts Krugman. “The crypto political strategy has been to knock out candidates that it considers hostile, and that is a strategy that was very effective in the last election cycle.” He explains that the crypto industry spent big to defeat crypto-skeptical Democrats in favor of potential allies, whether Republican or Democrat. In Ohio, for example, the crypto industry spent $38 million to flip a blue Senate seat red, and this year they’ve spent another $30 million to prevent Democrat Sherrod Brown from winning the seat back.

“Crypto became seen in Washington as a force to be afraid of” after victories like Ohio, but according to Krugman, it is “still barely used for legitimate transactions.” Instead, he explains, it is “pretty much only for criminal activities, including, by the way, Iranian efforts to bypass U.S. sanctions.” According to the Federal Reserve, notes Krugman, only 2 percent of Americans have actually used crypto to buy something other than assets, “but the political effectiveness has been huge, and it has intimidated a lot of politicians.

Back in February, Chuck Schumer warned his colleagues not to do too much to offend Fairshake, the big crypto lobbying group. Crypto has also, in addition to campaign contributions, done a lot of what in the old days we would call bribery. There’s a lot of money that flows from the crypto industry to politicians and their relatives, and not just Trump… it’s an industry that has developed a really effective political strategy. They couldn’t actually produce stuff, but if we count the $1.4 billion or so that Trump personally has made from crypto as part of its campaign contributions, then crypto may be the biggest single political financial force out there.”

If the blue wave does come, warns Krugman, the crypto industry will not stop peddling its influence just because a particular seat has turned Democrat, and it may even resort to outright “bribery.” But, he asserts, buying Democratic influence is “a completely different universe from the Trumpian Republican Party, and so the crypto industry knows that if Democrats really do sweep, if this is a blue wave which brings them not just the House but the Senate, it will be a less favorable environment, so their scam will be greatly endangered.”

So as crypto seeks to exert its influence after the election, concludes Krugman, “I guess we’re going to learn something about how much of a democracy we remain. I mean, yes, a vote is a vote, even if it’s a vote that was influenced by money, but we’re going to find out: can a wave of largely corrupt money – clearly totally corrupt in the case of crypto, but largely corrupt in other cases – can a wave of corrupt money stop a popular electoral uprising against a really disastrous administration and its allies in Congress?”

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AI Overview

Coinbase CEO

Brian Armstrong is a significant political donor, particularly to pro-crypto causes and candidates, including substantial support for Donald Trump's political efforts, with Coinbase contributing to a PAC that supported Trump and Armstrong meeting with him after the 2024 election; he aligns with pro-crypto, free-market ideals, supports regulatory clarity, and embraces libertarian-leaning concepts like "economic freedom" and "Network State" philosophy, advocating for less government intervention in crypto, which contrasts with stricter regulation under previous administrations.

Donations & Political Involvement

Political Stance & Ideology

Relationship with Trump

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GGL 12 25

AI Overview

Coinbase CEO

Brian Armstrong was a major figure in the crypto industry's political spending during the 2024 U.S. elections, which included significant financial involvement in races involving Senators Sherrod Brown and Representative Katie Porter.

Brian Armstrong's Role and Donations

Brian Armstrong, the CEO of the largest U.S. cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase, was a prominent donor to pro-crypto political action committees (PACs), most notably Fairshake.

Involvement in the Sherrod Brown Race

The crypto industry targeted Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH), who was the Chair of the Senate Banking Committee and a noted crypto skeptic.

Involvement in the Katie Porter Race

Representative Katie Porter (D-CA) was running in the California Democratic Senate primary and was also a target of the crypto industry's political spending.

The industry's spending campaign was largely successful in influencing key races, with 91% of the candidates the industry backed with significant funds winning their elections in 2024.

How tech bros bought 'America's most pro-crypto Congress ever'}:

Nov 23, 2024 — Armstrong, Coinbase's CEO, gave more than $1.3 million to a mix of PACs including Fairshake and JD Vance for Senate In...

CNBC·MacKenzie Sigalos

7:49

May 6, 2024 — Top Crypto Spenders. Coinbase. Coinbase is a leading cryptocurrency exchange offering users a platform for buying and s...

Public Citizen

Aug 21, 2024 — The primary beneficiary of the corporate crypto cash is Fairshake PAC, a super PAC that has raised $202.9 million. Mor...

Public Citizen

[### Crypto's $245 million campaign finance operation funded ...

CNBC

https://www.cnbc.com › 2024/11/05 › cryptos-245-mill...](https://www.cnbc.com/2024/11/05/cryptos-245-million-campaign-finance-operation-funded-non-crypto-ads.html)

Nov 5, 2024 — The crypto sector emerged as a top donor this election cycle, but the ads it funded weren't about digital currencies.

[### Silicon Valley, the New Lobbying Monster

The New Yorker

https://www.newyorker.com › magazine › 2024/10/14](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/10/14/silicon-valley-the-new-lobbying-monster)

Oct 7, 2024 — From crypto to AI, the tech sector is pouring millions into super PACS that intimidate politicians into supporting its agenda.Read more

[### Crypto Comes For Sherrod Brown: $32 Million in Ads ...

Rolling Stone

https://www.rollingstone.com › politics › politics-features](https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/sherrod-brown-crypto-bernie-moreno-millions-1235102478/)

Sep 15, 2024 — Crypto companies are spending $800000 a day to take out Sherrod Brown, one of their chief critics in Congress, and replace him with an ally.

[### Crypto Companies Have Made the Most Political ...

Inc.com

https://www.inc.com › chris-morris › crypto-companies...](https://www.inc.com/chris-morris/crypto-companies-corporate-political-donations.html)

Aug 23, 2024 — Crypto companies, including Ripple and Coinbase, have spent over $119 million so far this year to influence voters, according to a new ...

[### Cryptobros United: Crypto Super PACs Amass Over $100 ...

Public Citizen

https://www.citizen.org › Articles](https://www.citizen.org/article/cryptobros-united-fairshake-super-pac-2024-elections/)

May 6, 2024 — Only the super PAC backing Ron DeSantis' failed presidential campaign and the super PAC backing Democratic Senate candidates have raised more ...Read more

UPDATE

[### Crypto industry amasses colossal war chest for elections

Politico

https://www.politico.com › news › 2025/07/15 › crypto...](https://www.politico.com/news/2025/07/15/crypto-super-pacs-war-chest-key-house-votes-00452356)

1 day ago — Since the 2024 campaign ended, crypto firms have doubled down: The PAC network has raised $109 million since Election Day. The latest ...

A super PAC group funded by cryptocurrency companies will enter the upcoming midterm elections with more than $140 million in the bank, according to new fundraising data shared first with POLITICO — a mammoth sum that now looms large over an effort to pass industry-friendly legislation in the House this week.

The group, known as Fairshake, raised $52 million in the first half of 2025, piling onto an already huge sum of crypto campaign cash that could be wielded against lawmakers who oppose the industry’s Capitol Hill agenda — and boost the political fortunes of those who support it.

The PAC network’s fundraising highlights how top crypto firms are plowing ahead with a lobbying strategy that overtly uses political spending to get their way from Congress. The group includes three affiliated super PACs — Fairshake, Protect Progress and Defend American Jobs — that collectively spent $135 million supporting industry allies and taking down crypto critics in Congressional races across the country last year.

Spending by the group in the 2024 campaigns helped take down key roadblocks to the industry’s policy agenda, including former Senate Banking Chair Sherrod Brown, who lost his Ohio re-election campaign to Republican Bernie Moreno — a crypto enthusiast who benefited from more than $40 million of crypto PAC spending. The PACs also boosted industry supporters in dozens of other House and Senate races across the country, including the California Democratic Senate primary and hotly-contested House races in Alabama, Arizona and Virginia.

Since the 2024 campaign ended, crypto firms have doubled down: The PAC network has raised $109 million since Election Day. The latest fundraising haul comes as the House is preparing to take up landmark crypto legislation this week that would help legitimize digital assets as mainstream financial products and craft bespoke new rules governing the sector.

“Fairshake is stronger than ever as we remain focused on our mission of building lasting support for crypto and blockchain innovation,” said Josh Vlasto, spokesperson for the PAC group. “We are building an aggressive, targeted strategy for next year to ensure that pro-crypto voices are heard in key races across the country.”

The PAC is primarily funded by three companies: the venture capital giant Andreessen Horowitz, which invests heavily in digital asset startups, and the crypto firms Coinbase and Ripple.

Fairshake’s latest fundraising haul includes $25 million donated by Coinbase, the largest U.S. crypto exchange, along with previously announced contributions from Ripple Labs, Uniswap Labs, and the crypto entrepreneur Robert Leshner.

Coinbase’s chief policy officer, Faryar Shirzad, said in a statement that “crypto is already woven into America’s financial fabric,” and the company is “committed to fighting for the consumer protections and financial empowerment” that digital asset owners “deserve.”

The top Washington priority for the group’s top donors is a GOP-led crypto market structure bill expected to go to the House floor on Wednesday that seeks to create a first-ever crypto regulatory regime by divvying up oversight of digital assets between securities and commodities regulators.

Republicans leading the push for that bill are seeking to win over as many Democrats as they can ahead of the floor vote in order to show that the measure has political viability in the Senate, where bipartisan support is needed to clear a 60-vote threshold. A similar GOP-led proposal passed the House with 71 Democratic votes last year — as Fairshake was beginning to ramp up for the 2024 campaign — but concerns over the Trump family’s business entanglements in crypto may make matching that figure difficult this week.

Some Democrats are considering voting against the sweeping market structure measure but supporting a second, narrower crypto bill affecting so-called stablecoins that the House is expected to send to President Donald Trump’s desk on Thursday.

The crypto super PACs, though, have signaled that the vote breakdown on the broader bill, led by House Financial Services Chair French Hill (R-Ark.), will be their primary consideration as they weigh how to deploy their 2026 haul. The group spent more than $30 million benefiting House Democrats during the last campaign.

A non-profit dark money group that is affiliated with the Fairshake PACs called the Cedar Innovation Foundation said in a statement Monday that Hill’s so-called CLARITY Act is “the most important vote members will take this Congress.”

// Trump Border Czar Tom Homan: ‘There Will Be No Amnesty’ | The Conversation

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politico

the TV ads seem wildly different from each other.

In Ohio, a woman shares how GOP Senate candidate Bernie Moreno invested in her business making uniforms for female police officers. In Iowa, a spot highlights Rep. Zach Nunn’s military credentials and work to lower child care costs. And in Colorado, a Spanish-language ad touts first-term Democratic Rep. Yadira Caraveo’s support for more border patrol agents.

The ads have one major trait in common: They are all part of a massive effort from the cryptocurrency industry to elect its preferred House and Senate candidates across a dozen states this fall. But not a single one mentions crypto.

The nascent industry has quietly become the single biggest outside spender in congressional elections this cycle other than traditional party groups, spending more than environmental PACs, pro-Israel advocates or abortion-rights groups. About 1 in 12 independent expenditure dollars in House and Senate races this year have come from cryptocurrency-linked super PACs.

“The crypto industry is pretty amazing in that 10 years ago, it was the laughing stock of the tech world,” said Moreno, the GOP Senate candidate from Ohio who is challenging Sen. Sherrod Brown and has attracted the most cryptocurrency backing of any candidate. “And in reality, here you are 10 years later, and they’re going to be decisive in helping Republicans win the United States Senate.”

The industry’s ads are about trying to help their preferred candidates win elections — not making cryptocurrency a campaign issue. That reflects a reality acknowledged by several candidates: Cryptocurrency is hardly top-of-mind for most voters. The ads from the various industry-linked super PACs are instead universally positive spots about their candidates, often biographical or hitting on hot-button issues such as the border, the economy and access to IVF.

And cryptocurrency groups are quick to note that they are not innately partisan, instead backing candidates of both parties, including Democratic Senate candidates in Michigan and Arizona.

Many candidates backed by cryptocurrency are vulnerable members who serve on key committees and supported the industry’s legislative priorities this year. And in Ohio, they are looking to oust Brown, a past skeptic of the industry, even if they are not talking about him or cryptocurrency while they do it.

The spending surge has flowed through three distinct super PACs: Defend American Jobs, which has boosted Republican Senate candidates; Protect Progress, which has boosted Democratic Senate candidates; and Fairshake, which has backed House candidates on both sides of the aisle. Fairshake has also sent money to the other two groups while receiving more than $170 million this cycle from a variety of cryptocurrency-backed interests, including the firms Coinbase and Ripple Labs and the partners behind Andreessen Horowitz, the venture capital firm with substantial crypto investments.

The three super PACs have collectively spent $125 million on independent expenditures this cycle, accounting for 8 percent of all outside spending in congressional races, according to data from the Federal Election Commission. That includes more than $80 million spent on the general election.

In response to questions about the candidates backed by Fairshake and the content of the ads, a PAC spokesperson referred to an earlier statement expressing support for “leaders on both sides of the aisle and in both houses who are committed to getting things done and working with the industry to pass responsible regulation that drives innovation, creates jobs, and sustains America’s global leadership.”

IFrame Content

Many of the crypto-backed candidates supported one of the industry’s key legislative priorities this year, a bill that would establish regulatory authority for different classes of digital assets that passed the House earlier this year but has not been taken up in the Senate.

But the biggest investment by far this cycle has been to oust Brown, the only race where they have spent against an incumbent. Brown, who chairs the Senate Banking Committee, emerged as a key skeptic of cryptocurrency and warned of the risks it could pose for consumers.

Defend American Jobs has spent more than $40 million on the race. The top two most-run ads in Ohio this year both come from the group, according to data from the ad tracking firm AdImpact. But neither mentions crypto — nor attacks Brown.

One highlights Moreno as a small business owner who raised a family in the state, another touts his support for energy independence and “stopping illegal immigrants from taking Ohio’s tax dollars.”

The cryptocurrency-linked super PACs also support Democrats — even using some of the same issues, like immigration. An ad from Protect Progress backing Rep. Ruben Gallego praised the Arizona Senate candidate for “standing up to his own party to fund 22,000 border patrol agents,” while a Michigan ad boosting Rep. Elissa Slotkin’s Senate candidacy features a clip of her saying “we need to invest in border security.”

In House races, the messaging is even more varied. Most of the nearly two dozen ads that have run in congressional races for the general election have some biographical component. Five ads defending incumbent Democrats tout their credentials on immigration and the border, while two spots backing vulnerable Republicans highlight their support for access to IVF.

It’s not unusual for an interest group to avoid talking about its own issues in advertising: Earlier this year, the pro-Israel super PAC United Democracy Project ran ads in Democratic primaries that focused on issues ranging from public safety to one candidate’s DUI arrest, though the group ran ads on antisemitism in one New York congressional race.

But cryptocurrency may simply not be front-of-mind for most voters. Estimates for the number of Americans who own cryptocurrency vary widely, in part depending on the specifics of how the question is asked. A Federal Reserve survey in 2023 pegged the share at 7 percent while a Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia survey this summer found 14.7 percent; cryptocurrency firms and advocates argue the number is even higher.

With cryptocurrency not a key issue in frontline House and Senate races, most candidates are reluctant to talk about the money. The majority of candidates getting backing from cryptocurrency PACs — and their opponents — declined to comment about the industry’s role in their elections.

A few candidates whose opponents were beneficiaries of crypto super PACs also spoke in favor of cryptocurrency. Former Rep. Mike Rogers, running against Slotkin in Michigan, said in a statement the industry is “important for our national security” while accusing outside groups of “trying to put Crypto in the hands of Democrats.” A spokesperson for Republican Senate candidate Kari Lake, facing Gallego in Arizona, said she was a “strong supporter” of crypto.

In Alaska, Nick Begich, the Republican challenging Mary Peltola, said he was surprised to see Fairshake backing the incumbent Democrat, citing his own pro-cryptocurrency stances. (Begich said he was an early adopter of Bitcoin.) For voters, though, questions about digital assets and crypto policy tend to be lower down the list.

“We’ll get an occasional question about cryptocurrency from the public,” Begich said. “But it is not in the top 10 issues that I hear.”

When the industry does message on crypto, those efforts are far smaller in scale than their work to help specific candidates.

Stand With Crypto, a 501(c)(4) nonprofit, has been conducting outreach aiming to encourage crypto users and supporters to vote this year. The organization also grades candidates based on statements and support for legislation related to cryptocurrency, but does not endorse. And its efforts are far smaller: The group said it has received $2.8 million in donations, about 1.5 percent of the money that has flown through Fairshake.

YIKES 2024

COMMON DR

Crypto Industry's $40 Million Defeat of Pro-Worker Sherrod Brown Called 'Obscene'

The Ohio Democrat lost his seat because "the billionaire-backed crypto industry donated $40 million to his right-wing opponent," lamented one labor journalist.

Jake Johnson

Nov 07, 2024

The Republican Party's capture of the U.S. Senate this week was made possible in part by massive spending from the nascent but increasingly influential cryptocurrency industry, which pumped more than $40 million into a successful effort to topple pro-worker progressive Sen. Sherrod Brown in favor of luxury car dealer Bernie Moreno.

Crypto industry spending helped make Ohio's closely watched Senate race the most expensive in the state's history, with Moreno's campaign boosted by around $40.1 million from the super PAC Defend American Jobs—part of what OpenSecrets described as the "triad" of allied pro-crypto groups pouring cash into the 2024 election.

The Washington Postnoted that Moreno "founded a blockchain firm called Ownum in 2018" and "has long immersed himself in blockchain technology, a registry of ownership that essentially underpins all cryptocurrency."

A spokesman for Fairshake, another member of the crypto PAC triad, took credit for Moreno's victory in a statement after the election was called in the Republican's favor and condemned Brown's support for regulating the industry. Fairshake received tens of millions of dollars in donations from the cryptocurrency exchange giant Coinbase—some of which may have been illegal spending, according to the watchdog group Public Citizen, given that the company is a federal contractor.

"Sherrod Brown was a top opponent of cryptocurrency and thanks to our efforts, he will be leaving the Senate," said Fairshake's Josh Vlasto. "Senator-elect Moreno's come-from-behind win shows that Ohio voters want a leader who prioritizes innovation."

Crypto executive Tyler Winklevoss boasted in a social media post, "The crypto army is striking!"

"Sherrod Brown—crypto public enemy, Elizabeth Warren co-conspirator, and Gary Gensler crony—was just ousted by Bernie Moreno for Ohio Senate," wrote Winklevoss, the co-founder of Gemini.

Labor reporter Steven Greenhouse wrote Wednesday that it is "obscene" that Brown lost his seat because "the billionaire-backed crypto industry donated $40 million to his right-wing opponent."

"Sherrod Brown is one of the most pro-worker, pro-middle-class members of the U.S. Senate," Greenhouse added. "He truly fights for workers."

"The strategy was a brazen attempt to buy influence while keeping the public unaware of what they were supporting."

While the Ohio Senate contest was "the biggest single target of crypto money this cycle," as CNBCput it, the industry spread its money widely, backing both Republicans and Democrats in races across the country—underscoring its attempt to gain influence over future regulatory fights in Congress.

Overall, crypto groups spent more than $130 million in support of candidates for federal office this cycle. A tracker created by the Stand With Crypto Alliance estimates that 263 "pro-crypto candidates" were elected to the House and 18 to the Senate in Tuesday's contest.

Former President Donald Trump's victory over Vice President Kamala Harris was also seen as a win for the industry, with Bitcoin's price spiking to a new all-time high on Wednesday. During his campaign, Trump vowed to make the U.S. "the crypto capital of the planet."

"Tonight the crypto voter has spoken decisively—across party lines and in key races across the country," gushed Brian Armstrong, the CEO of Coinbase. "Americans disproportionately care about crypto and want clear rules of the road for digital assets. We look forward to working with the new Congress to deliver it."

But one critic, Better Markets president Dennis Kelleher, cast doubt on the industry's self-serving narrative that the 2024 results amounted to a ringing endorsement of cryptocurrency.

In an op-ed for the San Francisco Chronicle on Thursday, Kelleher pointed out that pro-crypto PACs adopted "generic anodyne names" and bankrolledads that didn't even mention cryptocurrency.

"It's as if Ford ran an ad campaign and never mentioned its cars," Kelleher wrote. "The strategy was a brazen attempt to buy influence while keeping the public unaware of what they were supporting. This way, the industry can claim the now-elected officials they backed have a mandate from the public to support crypto interests—even though they don't."

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[### Crypto Industry's $40 Million Defeat of Pro-Worker Sherrod ...

Common Dreams

https://www.commondreams.org › ... › cryptocurrency](https://www.commondreams.org/news/sherrod-brown-crypto)

4 hours ago — The Ohio Democrat lost his seat because "the billionaire-backed crypto industry donated $40 million to his right-wing opponent," lamented ...

Missing: FUNDER ‎DONOR

[### Bitcoiners celebrate as Bernie Moreno ousts Sherrod ...

CNBC

https://www.cnbc.com › 2024/11/05 › bitcoiners-celebr...](https://www.cnbc.com/2024/11/05/bitcoiners-celebrate-as-bernie-moreno-ousts-sherrod-brown-ohio-upset.html)

2 days ago — Republican Bernie Moreno, a blockchain entrepreneur, won the Ohio Senate race, knocking off Democratic incumbent Sherrod Brown. · The crypto ...

[### Crypto Comes For Sherrod Brown: $32 Million in Ads ...

Rolling Stone

https://www.rollingstone.com › politics › politics-features](https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/sherrod-brown-crypto-bernie-moreno-millions-1235102478/)

Sep 15, 2024 — Crypto companies are spending $800000 a day to take out Sherrod Brown, one of their chief critics in Congress, and replace him with an ally.

[### Why Crypto Billionaires Want to Flip Sherrod Brown's ...

The Intercept

https://theintercept.com › 2024/10/13 › sherrod-brown-...](https://theintercept.com/2024/10/13/sherrod-brown-race-crypto-regulation/)

Oct 13, 2024 — Millions of dollars are pouring into the race to unseat Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown, who has resisted loosening cryptocurrency regulations.

[### Crypto industry pours tens of millions into Ohio Senate race

Spectrum News

https://spectrumnews1.com › news › 2024/10/17 › cryp...](https://spectrumnews1.com/oh/columbus/news/2024/10/17/crypto-brown-moreno-senate)

Oct 17, 2024 — WASHINGTON, D.C. — The battle between Sen. Sherrod Brown and Bernie Moreno in Ohio is on track to be the most expensive Senate race in ...

[### Crypto PACs Dominate Ohio Senate Race, Spending $40 ...

CoinDesk

https://www.coindesk.com › policy › 2024/09/26 › cry...](https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2024/09/26/crypto-pacs-dominate-ohio-senate-race-spending-40m-on-sherrod-browns-foe/)

Sep 26, 2024 — Crypto-fan candidate Bernie Moreno has caught up in Ohio polls as the industry's cash outpaces other PACs in one of the key US Senate races that may decide the ...

[### Crypto's $245 million campaign finance operation funded ...

CNBC

https://www.cnbc.com › 2024/11/05 › cryptos-245-mill...](https://www.cnbc.com/2024/11/05/cryptos-245-million-campaign-finance-operation-funded-non-crypto-ads.html)

2 days ago — The crypto sector emerged as a top donor this election cycle, but the ads it funded weren't about digital currencies.

Missing: DONOR ‎| Show results with: DONOR

[### The Crypto Industry's Spending on the Election Pays Off

The New York Times

https://www.nytimes.com › 2024/11/06 › technology](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/06/technology/crypto-industry-spending-election.html)

4 hours ago — The spending spree fueled a string of victories on Tuesday for congressional candidates who had expressed support for cryptocurrencies.

[### Sen. Sherrod Brown - Campaign Finance Summary

OpenSecrets

https://www.opensecrets.org › members-of-congress › s...](https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/sherrod-brown/summary?cid=N00003535)

NOTE: All the numbers on this page are for the 2019 - 2024 election cycle and based on Federal Election Commission data released electronically on 11/06/24 for ...

[### Brown, Colleagues Call on Administration to Address ...

Senator Sherrod Brown (.gov)

https://www.brown.senate.gov › press › release › sherro...](https://www.brown.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/sherrod-brown-colleagues-call-administration-address-crypto-financed-terrorism-after-reports-hamas-raising-millions-crypto-fund-operations)

Oct 18, 2023 — ... Crypto-Financed Terrorism After Reports of Hamas Raising Millions in Crypto to Fund Operations ... WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Sherrod ...

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https://www.alternet.org/2020/04/banks-and-the-trump-administration-see-opening-to-bring-back-wall-street-casino-in-coronavirus-crisis/

no lnx

Banks and the Trump administration see opening to bring back Wall Street casino in coronavirus crisis

Written by Joan McCarter / Daily Kos April 12, 2020

The banksters are gonna bankster. Right now, they are gleefully rubbing their hands together as if they were washing coronavirus away, but in anticipation of the rollback of regulations they’ve been under since the last big economic crisis. You remember it—the one that they created a dozen years ago that nearly brought the global economic system down. Since then, they’ve been chafing under the modest rules imposed by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street reform law. But those rules are being eased under the current economic and public health crisis, and if the banksters have their way, there will be no going back.

The Federal Reserve and other regulators are loosening the rules on how much capital banks have to hold to be able to absorb losses; are allowing smaller banks to take on a higher debt load; and the Trump administration has delayed rules that would make them prepare against potential losses and set up systems to minimize risks. Trump’s cronies are doing their best to figure out how to weaken all these rules and turn Wall Street into a casino again. They see this as an opportunity, but the top Democrats in charge of banking oversight vow to fight.

“While our federal regulators, agencies and financial institutions must take action to protect consumers and our economy, I must emphasize that it is unacceptable to use this crisis as an excuse to justify rollbacks of important financial regulations that are in place to protect our financial system and economy,” Rep. Maxine Waters, chair of the House Financial Services Committee, warned last month. “Wall Street will take advantage of anything to chip away at commonsense financial protections,” Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown, top Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee, told Politico. “Right now, as we deal with the economic fallout of coronavirus, we need the financial watchdogs to keep a close eye on the financial system. We need to be doing everything we can to protect hardworking Americans, not helping Wall Street and big banks skirt regulations.”

Banks do need to have flexibility to make loans and keep businesses and individuals afloat. But they also need to not play roulette with the global economy, and Wall Street certainly has done nothing in the past 12-plus years to indicate it was going to watchdog itself.

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2018

The Club for Growth PAC endorsed Ohio State Treasurer Josh Mandel in his bid to unseat incumbent Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown in the United States Senate election in Ohio, 2018. Mandel dropped out of the race in January 2018.[190]

yikes see graf, many wins in blue wave 2018]!

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https://www.alternet.org/2019/10/another-betrayal-trump-promised-to-bring-offshore-profits-home-but-hes-doing-the-opposite/

an 1019

'Another betrayal’: Trump promised to bring offshore profits home — but he’s doing the opposite

Igor Derysh / Salon

The Trump administration is considering a rule change that would make it easier for American companies to stash money offshore to avoid U.S. taxes, despite the president’s repeated campaign promises…

no lnx

‘Another betrayal’: Trump promised to bring offshore profits home — but he’s doing the opposite

Written by Igor Derysh / Salon October 11, 2019

The Trump administration is considering a rule change that would make it easier for American companies to stash money offshore to avoid U.S. taxes, despite the president’s repeated campaign promises to bring offshore cash back home.

The Treasury Department is looking to weaken or eliminate Obama-era regulations aimed at preventing companies from moving their income to their overseas branches to lower their U.S. tax bill, Bloomberg reports. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, a former Goldman Sachs executive, instead wants to replace the existing rules with “something more business friendly.”

The move would be a boon to large corporations, who already saw their taxes permanently slashed by the Republicans’ 2017 tax cuts, which overwhelmingly benefited companies at the expense of individual taxpayers.

Prior to the 2016 rule, companies were able to move money to their offshore branches that they could then lend to their American branches, while deducting the interest from the tax bill. The Obama-era rule allowed the IRS to consider these inter-company loans as equity, which eliminated a key incentive for companies to move profits overseas.

Democrats slammed the administration for trying to weaken rules that allow tax avoidance when it should be creating tougher ones.

“One of the Trump administration’s top priorities has been making it as easy as possible for the wealthiest Americans and corporations to cheat and avoid taxes,” Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon, the top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, said in a statement. “Rules preventing the offshoring of corporate profits should be strengthened — not weakened.”

Critics of the rule say it is no longer necessary because the tax cuts made these inter-company loans less attractive, according to Bloomberg.

Mark Mazur, Obama’s former assistant secretary for tax policy at Treasury when the rule was created, disputed that claim.

“On the face, they do slightly different things and so it’s hard to believe that the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act took care of every one of those dimensions,“ he told Bloomberg.

On its face, Republican criticism of the rule simply doesn’t align with reality.Trump had earlier claimed that the 2017 tax cuts would bring back $4 trillion in offshore profits that had been stashed overseas. Through the end of 2018, his claim fell about $3.3 trillion short, Bloomberg reported earlier this year.

The tax law slashed the rate on repatriated profits from 35 percent to a onetime 15.5 percent tax rate on cash and an 8 percent tax on non-cash assets. Trump claimed that the change would bring back $4 trillion in offshore profits, even though banks estimated that only about $1.5 trillion to $2.5 trillion was held offshore by U.S. companies. Corporations brought back less than $670 billion from the time the tax law was enacted until the end of 2018.

Researchers also rejected Trump’s claim that the repatriated profits would boost investment in the U.S.

“Policy changes have a relatively small impact on hiring and investment decisions if firms have relatively easy access to credit markets,” said a 2018 report from researchers at the University of Richmond and Claremont McKenna College.

Instead, companies have been using their tax savings for stock buybacks, in which companies buy back their own stock to return more money to shareholders.

A report from Citigroup found that companies in the S&P 500 spent more than $800 billion on stock buybacks in 2018, far more than the total amount spent on investing in new equipment or the total amount of repatriated cash.

Last year, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., and Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, introduced a bill that would close loopholes in the tax law to equalize tax rates on domestic and foreign profits.

“President Trump promised the American people he’d end the march of jobs and profits overseas,” Whitehouse said in a statement at the time. “Instead, he’s doled out massive new tax breaks that reward offshoring.”

Democrats again called out Trump for trying to help major corporations rather than workers.

“Another betrayal by President Trump — choosing corporations over American workers,” wrote Sen.Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio. “Shameful.”

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AN 819 biz rndtable

And right now, Congress is striking fear in the hearts of these CEOs. That’s part of what prompted this lovefest with customers and communities and employees. This Business Roundtable document was a preemptive strike intended to prevent Congress from actually requiring decent corporate citizenship.Legislation to place workers on the boards of directors of large corporations has been introduced, and U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown sponsored legislation to give workers $1 for every $1 million corporations spend on stock buybacks, a maneuver that greatly benefits shareholders. If Brown’s proposal had been law last year, it would have put $20,000 in the bank accounts of every JPMorgan Chase worker.

intercept 719

find shillenberger connects]

TUESDAY, a dark-money effort linked primarily to the Ohio nuclear industry delivered an audacious payoff, as a newly elected state legislature overcame years of opposition to shower a $1.1 billion bailout on two state nuclear plants.

Several dark-money groups spent millions to replace key Republican state legislators in the spring of 2018, followed by a furious lobbying campaign to make sure those new lawmakers elected a new House speaker — one who was amenable to the subsidy. The nuclear industry in Ohio has been on the brink of failure for several years, but previous legislatures had objected to a bailout, reading the writing on the wall: Nuclear power is neither a cost-effective solution for power nor an effective response to climate change, despite hopes for its success.

:{:{

The dark-money effort deployed a variety of vehicles }:that went by names like the Conservative Leadership Allianceand the Ohio Clean Energy Jobs Alliance. Murray Energy, a coal company, also gave heavilyto current state House Speaker Larry Householder and his allied candidates, and the bailout from Ohio also includes subsidies to prop up failing coal plants in the state.}:

In April 2018, two nuclear plants, both owned by the electric utility FirstEnergy, filed for bankruptcy and have been threatening to cease operations if not bailed out. They were under increasing pressure to compete with cheaper alternatives, ranging from natural gas to wind and solar. The bankruptcy filings give a glimpse into the company’s political spending: more than $30 million from 2018-2019 on lobbying and campaigns in Ohio and Pennsylvania (where the company also sought a bailout, so far unsuccessfully).

The payoff is extraordinary in degree — something like $30 million for campaigns in Ohio and Pennsylvania to win $1.1 billion in government subsidy. But it is similar in kind to other nuclear projects across the country. According to the Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit devoted to research and advocacy, five cash-strapped states across the country have foisted more than $15 billion in subsidies on failing nuclear power plants since 2016, the latest sign that nuclear is unable to stand in a competitive energy market against lower-cost renewables.

IN OHIO, the state House battle was fought in at least 18 competitive Republican primaries, all proxy battles between Reps. Ryan Smith, the incumbent House speaker, and Larry Householder. Householder was a co-sponsor of the nuclear bailout bill that stalled in the legislature in 2018, making him a key ally to the nuclear industry. Several dark-money vehicles backed the pro-Householder candidates, andwon 15 of the 18 races. Four pro-Householder candidates lost in the general election, but the primary wins put Householder in contention for the speakership.

The industry even targeted one Republican state representative who had rebuffed FirstEnergy’s advances before making a bid for Congress. “I didn’t budge when they came into my office to lobby me,” former state Rep. Christina Hagansaidof FirstEnergy. “I became the target of the company and the members of our leadership team who wanted to get it done but couldn’t because I wasn’t going to be supportive. I’m sure they just wanted to make an example of me in my race for higher office that if you don’t play well, this is what will happen to you.”

On top of the dark money, FirstEnergy’s political action committees directly contributed more than $150,000to the campaigns of Householder and candidates aligned with him, while giving none to Smith last cycle. Of the pro-Householder candidates who won their races, all but one supported the bailout.

Dark money also contributed to ads on Ohio television.Generation Now spent almost $2 million on ads in favor of the bailout, and perhaps much more. The Growth & Opportunity PAC, which got more than$1 million in donations from Generation Now, also blanketed the state House districts with television ads in favor of Republican candidates. Generation Now’s office is listed as the Columbus address of a longtime Householder adviser, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer.

The new lawmakers entered office in January, and Householder, who, along with his son, flew to Donald Trump’s inauguration on a FirstEnergy-chartered plane, won with the backing of 26 Republican and 26 Democratic representatives, while Smith got the votes of 34 and 11, respectively. Householder was able to win the support of those Democrats with his opposition to right-to-work legislation, as unions pushed Democrats to back him in the speaker fight with Smith. :{

}:

On July 23, Smith and 14 other House Republicans voted against the bailout, but Householder was able to push it through 51-38, backed by nine Democrats. It was quickly signed by the state’s new governor, Republican Mike DeWine. (FirstEnergy also contributed to the campaign of DeWine, who then tapped a FirstEnergy lobbyistto be his liaison to the legislature.)That month, the legislature also began work on reviving the nuclear bill known as HB 6. At least seven witnesses who spoke to the legislature in support of the bill drew on testimony written by a FirstEnergy lobbying firm, according to a review of metadata by the Energy and Policy Institute, which has closely tracked the fight.

The Ohio legislation reads as if it was designed specifically to undermine the planet’s continued capacity to support a steady human population. Along with propping up the state’s two nuclear plants, it also provides subsidies for failing coal plants in the state, as well as one in Indiana. It cuts and eventually ends any subsidies for new wind or solar, while approving just $20 million annually for large-scale solar projects that have already been approved. It even ends programs aimed at encouraging Ohio residents to reduce power consumption, through upgrades to appliances or heating and cooling systems.

In April, Householder denied that the corporate PAC money had anything to do with the nuclear bill, and said that FirstEnergy should be applauded for its civic engagement.“For them to care about those people who are trying to serve the state of Ohio and make sure they’ve got good quality candidates moving forward I think is important for anybody,” he said.

When asked specifically about ads from the dark money–funded Growth & Opportunity PAC, Householder said, “I’ll tell you who’s paying for these ads: it’s working men and women from Ohio, who want to save their jobs and it’s Ohio corporations, headquartered in Ohio, that want to stay here. That’s who’s paying for it.” He did not respond to a request for comment from The Intercept.

THE ROLE OF the nuclear industry in the shuffling of speakers was not prominent in the news coverage of the politics, but it wasn’t entirely unknown. Gregory Jaczko, who served as chair of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission from 2009 to 2012, said that the industry’s role in the affair was visible to those paying close attention. “FirstEnergy has been trying, really, for years to get this subsidy, and the legislature kept denying it, and nobody really, even the previous governor [John Kasich] was not really supportive of it,” he said. “FirstEnergy put a lot of money into local races and essentially turned the legislature around. So they ran this thing through.”

On a policy level, the legislation is appalling, said Jaczko, who has become an outspoken critic of the industry, and recently published a book, “Confessions of a Rogue Nuclear Regulator.” Building new wind and solar capacity would not only be a better climate solution and produce more jobs, he said, it would be far cheaper for the state, and it’s the direction Ohio will have to go eventually anyway. Wind and solar “creates a brand new economy, which is going to be a future-looking economy rather than a dying economy,” said the former NRC chair. “Nuclear is dying. It’s dying in Ohio.”

Winning the speakership is quite the comeback for Householder, whose career appeared to be cut short in the mid-2000s by a federal investigation intokickbacks and a pay-to-play scandal. Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell, a Republican, had referred the case to the FBI; it was resolved without charges.Householder won election back to the House in 2016, and during his first cycle, the incumbent speaker resigned amid his own FBI investigation. Smith took over on a temporary basis, leading to the battle between the two.The irony, he noted, is that Ohio had planned to be a testing ground for next-generation smaller nuclear power plants, which purported to solve some of the problems associated with nuclear energy, and won federal subsidies to try to build them.

“As soon as they got that money from the Department of Energy, they decided they weren’t going to pursue these reactors anymore,” Jaczko said. No new nuclear plants are planned for Ohio or anywhere else in the United States, and the closure of the two currently operating facilities is not a matter of if, but when. The billion-dollar subsidy only delays the transition to wind and solar, he said.

Ohio’s two senators, both of whose campaigns have taken money from FirstEnergy throughout their careers, were on different pages when asked about the billion-dollar bailout. Republican Sen. Rob Portman, whose campaigns have taken at least $615,000 from FirstEnergy PACs since his first run for Senate in 2009, said he didn’t know enough of the details of the decision and was swamped with other things this week.

Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown, though, was indignant.“You don’t bail out utility companies and raise prices for customers,” Brown said. The utility has contributed around $380,000 to Brown’s campaigns since 1997, when he was in the House of Representatives. “And you don’t undermine the efforts our state has made on alternative energy and other energy sources. So it’s just wrong.” Asked about reports of the involvement of dark-money groups in pushing the bailout, Brown said: “Of course there is.”

“I mean, these things happen because these monied interests control the state legislature. There’s no question about it.”

In a statement Brown’s office sent later in the day, the senator added that expending enormous resources to prop up outdated sources of power would only hurt Ohio going forward. “Of course we need to make sure our state has access to reliable power, but we shouldn’t do that by raising the utility bills of hardworking Ohioans,” Brown said. “We need solutions designed for Ohio workers and families, not Wall Street and fat-cat lobbyists. By eliminating the renewable standard, Ohio is going backward when almost every other state is looking to the good-paying jobs of the future. It’s short-sighted and it is going to result in significant lost opportunities in our state—our businesses will be less competitive, energy developers will avoid investing in Ohio, and there will be fewer jobs in this growing sector.”

The cost of the nuclear bailout for Ohio ratepayers is a bargain compared to the bill being given to residents in South Carolina. The cost of a failed program to build a nuclear power plant there topped $9 billion. Two of the companies involved — Dominion Energy and SCANA Corporation — entered into a buyout and settled a large portion of the bill, leaving ratepayers responsible for footing the remaining $2.3 billion, more than twice the Ohio figure. Not a single kilowatt of energy was produced in South Carolina by the project, which consisted largely of a hole in the ground.

The Ohio subsidies for coal and nuclear, which follow bailouts doled out by Illinois, New York, and New Jersey, underscore the futility of pursuing nuclear power.

Nuclear power once offered the tantalizing promise of endless cheap and clean energy, and to this day remains a hope in the minds of some climate activists. But in reality, nuclear hasn’t met the promise. It is far more expensive to produce nuclear power than wind or solar, and the world has not solved the intractable problem of nuclear waste, to say nothing of safety. To truly meet the scale of the climate crisis with nuclear power, Jaczko said, the world would need to start construction on roughly 1,000 plants this year. But because of the safety concerns, waste problem, and astronomical cost, there are just a handful being built. Ohio lawmakers, though, are hanging on to the bitter end — courtesy of Ohio’s residents.... Ohio homeowners and businesses are now stuck paying more to keep old, uneconomical power plants running, and money-saving energy efficiency programs will likely disappear.

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libra crypto sherrod brown says FB dangerous toddler with matches

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https://onezero.medium.com/the-libra-masterplan-dc9560e41c87

crypto curr

https://www.democracynow.org/2019/6/19/big_techs_war_for_your_wallet

In a move that could reshape the world’s financial system, Facebook has unveiled plans to launch a new global digital currency called Libra. Facebook announced its plans on Tuesday after secretly working on the cryptocurrency for more than a year. It will launch Libra next year in partnership with other large companies including Visa, Mastercard, PayPal and Uber. Facebook said it wants to create “a simple global currency and infrastructure that empowers billions of people.” The plan has already come under fierce criticism from financial regulators and lawmakers.Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown tweeted, “Facebook is already too big and too powerful, and it has used that power to exploit users’ data without protecting their privacy.We cannot allow Facebook to run a risky new cryptocurrency out of a Swiss bank account without oversight.” We speak with David Dayen, the executive editor of The American Prospect. He recently wrote a piece for The New Republic headlined “The Final Battle in Big Tech’s War to Dominate Your World.”

https://www.alternet.org/2019/03/democrats-newest-proposal-could-slash-child-poverty-by-a-third-heres-how/

On Wednesday, Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Michael Bennet (D-CO) introduced a bold proposal known as the American Family Act. And while it hasn’t yet attracted much attention, this bill is likely to become a fixture of Democratic economic policy in the coming years.

This bill, an earlier version of which was introduced in 2017, would effectively expand the child tax credit into a “child allowance”, much like what other countries including Canada and the United Kingdom currently have. Under the law, families would receive $300 per month for children under 5, and $250 a month for children ages 6-16. According to researchers, this plan would cut child poverty by a third, taking it from 14.8 percent to 9.5 percent — an estimated 4 million children.

The current child tax credit, which was expanded slightly in 2017 as part of the GOP tax bill, is severely flawed — higher-income households are eligible for up to $2,000 in tax credits a year, but lower-income families that actually need the money get almost nothing.

As Vox’s Dylan Matthews explains, Democrats are in a position to unify behind this proposal, and even if the odds of passage in the current Republican Senate are remote, there will be key opportunities down the road to make a serious push for it:

[I]n its latest incarnation, the bill has the support of the majority of the Democratic House and Senate caucuses, including the No. 2 Democrats in the House and Senate (Steny Hoyer and Dick Durbin, respectively); just about every possible Democratic 2020 contender currently in Congress from Tim Ryan in the House to Cory Booker and Elizabeth Warren in the Senate; and leaders of both the moderate (Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Chris Coons) and left (Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez) wings of the party. Thirty-five Democratic senators (out of 48 Democrats total) and 168 Democratic House Reps (out of 235) are sponsors or co-sponsors.

Given that the bill could easily be passed through budget reconciliation — which requires only a bare majority in the Senate — it has a strong shot at being enacted the next time Democrats have a governing trifecta in the House, Senate, and presidency, whether that’s in 2021, 2025, or later. What’s more, the expiration of the Trump tax bill in 2025 will force a reconsideration of the US tax code, giving Democrats an opportunity to push for the inclusion of a child poverty-slashing provision in whatever deal comes out of that deadline.

Over the decades, Democrats have delivered massive reforms for the working and middle classes, from Social Security to Medicare to the Affordable Care Act. The American Family Act would be a similarly large disruption to the status quo, that would combat some of the ugliest, most life-destroying poverty in the United States, and provide for those who need it.

===

defund the left tort ref undermines ppl right to ct, also arbitration but TPP allows

transcanada

http://www.globalpossibilities.org/another-corporation-suing-our-government-thanks-to-trade-agreements/

Countries Lose The Right To Protect Citizens

The investor-state dispute settlement provision of the TPP was among the main targets at Tuesday’s “Trading Up’ symposium on trade at the AFL-CIO headquarters in Washington.”

Both AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka and Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) singled out the ISDS, which Brown said “allows corporations to sue governments to pad their own profits,” as a key reason to oppose the TPP and replace it with a new trade regime that respects the interests of the people who governments are supposed to represent.

Thomas Palley, economist at the New American Foundation, said at the symposium that of provisions like the ISDS that do not really have anything directly to do with trade, agreements like the TPP “are not free trade agreements; they are global governance agreements.”

Calling them “global governance agreements,” he went on to say, would call attention to the enormity of the effect these clauses would have and would underscore the undemocratic way they are being imposed on populations around the world as well as the U.S.

Under NAFTA, we recently lost the right to, for example, tell consumers which country their meatcomes from or whether tuna is dolphin-safe. Canada has been sued over their environmental laws. One company was even able to win $15 million and block Canada from stopping them from polluting the air with neurotoxins.

Under other trade agreements with similar provisions counties are being sued by tobacco companies for trying to help people stop smoking, and prevent kids from starting.

Climate vs. Profit

These “investor protection” provisions prevent governments from protecting the environment and the climate. For example, TransCanada claims that the U.S. choice to protect the climate cost them money, so we have to pay up. As economist Joseph Stiglitz said by video at the Trading Up symposium, instead of the “polluter pays” principle in U.S. law, “we pay the polluter for not polluting.” Or, worse, we pay the polluter for the right to keep polluting.

From the Bloomberg report:

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Ohio Senate Race

Opensecrets estimates that Crossroads GPS has spent over $2 million influencing the 2012 Ohio Senate election, with all their money helping to oppose the re-election of Democrat Sherrod Brown. [29] Crossroads GPS was one of the independent groups that spent early to support Brown's opponent, Josh Mandel, turning an initially safe race into a very close one[30], The total spending by outside groups involved in the Ohio race has been estimated to be as high as $15 million. [31]. GPS's Ohio ads have targeted Brown for his support of the affordable care act and his alleged "anti-coal" stance.

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Summary

Senator Brown is a strong believer in man made global warming. He has stated that it is our most pressing environmental issue today and without action we put at risk the health of our families, the well-being of our coastal areas, the productivity of our farms, forests, and fisheries, and our homeland security.

Despite this belief, Senator Brown has stated that he did not support the cap-and-trade legislation. This stated opposition to the cap-and-trade legislation is counter to statements made by Senator Brown that limiting carbon emissions is the single best way to release investment capital, and a call for an aggressive, immediate strategy to combat global warming. Senator Brown stated that the form of the cap-and-trade legislation would hinder the Ohio economy and shift manufacturing overseas with no benefit to the environment. Senator Brown has written op-eds detailing his plan to address climate change by providing loans for companies to retrofit their equipment. To accomplish this goal, Senator Brown has introduced or supported several pieces of legislation to support alternative forms of energy production.

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Sherrod_Brown

Sherrod Brown, a Democrat, has represented the state of Ohio in the Senate since 2006. (map)

Contents [hide]

Record and controversies

General information about important bills and votes for can be found in Congresspedia's articles on legislation. You can add information you find on how Sherrod Brown voted by clicking the "[edit]" link to the right and typing it in. Remember to cite your sources!

H.R. 3590 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (health care reform)

On December 9, 2009, Senator Brown was one of ten Democratic Senators to reach what Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid called a “broad agreement”[1]on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The discussion focused on abandoning or greatly narrowing the public health insurance option. In exchange, people 55-64 would be able to buy in to Medicare and Medicaid eligibility would be expanded to people within 150 percent of the federal poverty line. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s office released a statement on the compromise:

"I asked Senators Schumer and Pryor to work with some of the most moderate and most progressive members of our diverse caucus, and tonight they have come to a consensus. 
It is a consensus that includes a public option and will help ensure the American people win in two ways: one, insurance companies will face more competition, and two, the American people will have more choices. I know not all 10 Senators in the room agree on every single detail of this, nor will all 60 members of my caucus. But I know we all appreciate the hard work that these progressives and moderates have done to move this historic debate forward. I want to thank Senators Schumer, Pryor, Brown, Carper, Feingold, Harkin, Landrieu, Lincoln, Nelson and Rockefeller for working together for the greater good and never losing sight of our shared goal: making it possible for every American to afford to live a healthy life. As is long-standing practice, we do not disclose details of any proposal before the Congressional Budget Office has a chance to evaluate it. We will wait for that to happen, but in the meantime, tonight we are confident." [2]

Iraq War

For more information see the chart of U.S. Senate votes on the Iraq War.

Environmental record

For more information on environmental legislation, see the Energy and Environment Policy Portal

Bio

Background

Brown was born November 9, 1952 in Mansfield, Ohio. He became an Eagle Scout in 1967. Brown received a bachelor of arts degree in Russian studies from Yale University in 1974 and a master of arts degree in education and public administration from Ohio State University in 1981. He taught at the Mansfield branch campus of Ohio State University from 1979 to 1981.

Brown is married to Connie Schultz, is a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist for Cleveland's Plain Dealer newspaper.

Brown served as an Ohio state representative from 1975 to 1982. He was one of the youngest state representatives in Ohio history. In 1982, he won a four-way Democratic primary that included Dennis Kucinich, now a Cleveland Congressman, then defeated Republican Virgil Brown in the general election for the office of Ohio Secretary of State, succeeding Anthony J. Celebrezze Jr.. In 1986, Brown won re-election as secretary of state, defeating Vincent C. Campanella. In 1990, Brown lost when trying for a third term as secretary of state to Republican Bob Taft.

Congressional Career

In 1992, Brown ran for a seat in the United States House of Representatives and won.

In 2001, when the Republican-controlled legislature threatened to gerrymander him out of office, Brown threatened to run for governor in 2002. The Republicans backed down, preserving Brown's majority Democratic district, and Brown stayed in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Brown was an Ohio delegate to the 2000 Democratic National Convention. He was an unpledged delegate to the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston.

In 2005, Brown led the Democratic effort to block the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). For many months, Brown worked as whip on the issue, securing Democratic "nay" votes and seeking Republican allies. After several delays, the House of Representatives finally voted on CAFTA after midnight on July 28, 2005. Keeping the roll call open well past the 15 minute standard, the House approved CAFTA by a vote of 217 to 215. CAFTA effectively passed by one vote - a tie would have resulted in a defeat.

Brown cites this stinging outcome as the impetus for the next stage of his career: running for the U.S. Senate.

2006 Senate race

In the summer of 2005, Brown announced he would not run for the U. S. Senate seat held by Republican Mike DeWine. [3] That fall, however, Brown reconsidered his decision to enter the ring. [4] This announcement came shortly after Democrat Paul Hackett also stated that he would soon announce his candidacy. Within Ohio, Brown's decades of involvement in Ohio politics, including his years in statewide office, have given him high name recognition amongst Ohioans and a considerable fundraising advantage. In addition to his Senate campaign, Brown also helped to support Reform Ohio Now to promote several state jurisdictional changes on the ballot in November 2005.

Brown stated at the outset of his campaign that he wanted to show the contrasts between himself and Sen. DeWine. Brown has done this by not shying away from what many consider a "liberal" record[[5]](http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060611/NEWS09/606110405/-1/NEWS) in the House and what he calls a "progressive" record.[6] Brown has campaigned as a populist on the economy, continuing to trumpet his long opposition to free trade agreements.[[7]](http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060611/NEWS09/606110405/-1/NEWS) Brown stated in his stump speeches, "We have a government in Washington that has betrayed the middle class and the working poor in this country.You know what I mean when I say 'betrayed.' There's no other word for it. And I'm not one of those Democrats who is going to hesitate to talk about that betrayal. The stakes are too high for places like this."[8]

Brown also trumpeted his vote against the congressional authorization to go to war in Iraq. He also publicly refused to accept the congressional health care plan until Congress passes universal health care legislation. [9]

Brown defeated DeWine 56%-44% to take possession of his Senate seat.

Money in politics

This section contains links to – and feeds from – money in politics databases. cid=N00003535&cycle=2006

Links to more campaign contribution information for Sherrod Brown

from the Center for Responsive Politics' OpenSecrets.org site.

Links to more campaign contribution information for Sherrod Brown

from the Center for Responsive Politics' OpenSecrets.org site.

Links to more campaign contribution information for Sherrod Brown

from the Center for Responsive Politics' OpenSecrets.org site.
Fundraising profile:2006 election cycleCareer totals
Top contributors by organization/corporation:2006 election cycleCareer totals
Top contributors by industry:2006 election cycleCareer totals

Committees and Affiliations

Committees

Committee assignments in the 109th Congress (2005-2006)

More Background Data

Wikipedia also has an article on Sherrod Brown. This article may use content from the Wikipedia article under the terms of the GFDL.

Contact

Washington, D.C.:

455 Russell Senate Office Bldg.

Washington, DC 20510

Phone: (202) 224-2315

Fax: (202) 228-6321

Web Email

Website

Cleveland Office:

600 East Superior Avenue, Room 2450

Cleveland OH 44114

Phone: 216-522-7272

Fax: 216-522-2239

Articles and Resources

Articles

From Sherrod Brown

Local blogs and discussion sites

Published Works by Sherrod Brown

Corresponding article on Wikipedia and Cause Caller. (If Cause Caller link does not work, pick from its list of senators and representatives.)

Attachments