The Democrats must keep the Senate at all costs – and the coalmine canary is Ohio

‘Unlike his fellow Ohio senator, JD Vance, Brown does not just play a populist for the press.’ Photograph: Tony Dejak/AP

Breathless coverage of the presidential horserace has begun, and it seems all but inevitable: we’re heading towards a Trump-Biden rematch. Democrats need to maintain their razor-thin Senate majority if they hope to enact President Biden’s second-term agenda – or, God forbid, fend off Trump’s.

That prospect hinges on a few incumbents facing tough re-election fights. The most critical, must-win seat belongs to Sherrod Brown, a senator from Ohio.