Ohio Senate Race Becomes Proxy Fight Between AIPAC and J Street

The November Senate race in Ohio has become a financial battleground for two major Israel advocacy groups.

Republican incumbent Jon Husted and Democrat Sherrod Brown are competing in a tight contest that may decide which party controls the US Senate. Husted was appointed by Governor Mike DeWine to fill the seat vacated by Vice President JD Vance in January 2025. Brown served three previous terms before losing the state's other Senate seat to Bernie Moreno in 2024. Both candidates claim strong support from Jewish American communities, but their primary backers differ in ideology.

The American Israel Public Affairs Committee, known as AIPAC, supports Husted. According to Federal Election Commission filings, Husted raised more than $544,000 from individual contributions facilitated by AIPAC in the general election cycle. He also raised over $306,000 through the group during the May special primary. Deryn Sousa, a spokesperson for AIPAC, stated that Husted earned the endorsement due to his support for the US-Israel relationship. In the Senate, Husted voted against resolutions to restrict arms sales to Israel and joined a bipartisan task force to combat antisemitism.

J Street, a liberal group that frequently criticizes the Israeli government, backs Brown. Jordan Steinberg, a spokesperson for J Street, said Brown has received more than $800,000 from J Street supporters this cycle. Steinberg noted that Brown is one of the top three recipients of the group's bundled dollars. J Street announced in September that it would invest $3 million in lobbying efforts to defeat Republican candidates backed by AIPAC. Brown previously sponsored legislation to authorize military assistance for Israel and has voted against restrictions on arms sales.

The campaigns have also traded attacks over ties to Jeffrey Epstein. Brown ran ads criticizing Husted for taking more than $116,000 from Ohio billionaire Les Wexner, a financial client of Epstein. Husted's campaign, led by spokesperson Tom Evans, countered that the Wexner family has donated to candidates on both sides, including Brown. Evans said Husted's campaign donated $34,000 to an anti-human trafficking charity and that the senator voted to release Epstein files. Husted did support legislation passed in November 2025 to release the files, though he supported tabling an amendment requiring public disclosure in September 2025.

A separate controversy involved Stephen Woytek, a former Husted campaign staffer. The Washington Post reported in September that Woytek used a photo of SS soldiers as his Facebook profile picture and maintained a playlist celebrating Rhodesia. Woytek told the Post that he rejects the ideology of the SS and that he should have exercised better judgment. Husted dismissed Woytek after the report. Ohio Jewish Communities president Josh Kramer said the group works with both sides of the aisle and noted that Husted acted to remove Woytek once the matter was brought to his attention.