Brown leads by 42,539 votes with 80% of Ohio Senate votes counted

Sherrod Brown, the Democratic candidate, leads Republican Jon Husted by 42,539 votes in Ohio's special U.S. Senate election with 80% of the expected vote counted, according to ABC News, though the race has not been called. Brown holds 48% with 1,819,749 votes to Husted's 47% and 1,777,210 votes. The special election fills the Senate seat vacated by Vice President JD Vance, with the winner serving the remaining two years of his term; Husted was appointed to the seat by the governor in January of last year. The outcome matters because it will shape party control in the Senate and offer an early read on Ohio's competitive statewide lean. Watch for the remaining 20% of returns to determine whether Brown's roughly 1-point margin holds.