Husted and Brown Turn Ohio Senate Race Into Proxy War for Israel Lobby Groups

The Ohio U.S. Senate race has become a financial proxy war between two major pro-Israel lobbying groups, with each side pouring six-figure sums into opposing candidates to influence the outcome of a contest that may decide Senate control. Republican Sen. Jon Husted and former Sen. Sherrod Brown are the recipients of these targeted campaigns, which reflect the ideological split within the American pro-Israel community.

AIPAC, the traditional conservative lobby, has backed Husted, while J Street, the liberal group, supports Brown. According to Federal Election Commission filings, Husted has raised more than $544,000 in individual contributions earmarked through AIPAC for this general election cycle. During the May special primary, he secured an additional $306,000 via the same channel. AIPAC’s political action committee also sent a direct $5,000 contribution in April and facilitated another $5,000 in February.

Deryn Sousa, a spokesperson for AIPAC, justified the endorsement by citing Husted’s record on the U.S.-Israel relationship. Husted voted against advancing two resolutions in April that would have restricted military equipment sales to Israel, including 1,000-pound bombs and bulldozers. He also joined the Senate Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Antisemitism in April and previously questioned university leaders regarding the safety of Jewish students.

On the other side of the aisle, J Street has funneled more than $800,000 to Brown, making him one of the group’s largest beneficiaries. Jordan Steinberg, a spokesperson for J Street, noted that most of these funds arrived through JStreetPAC, which acts as a conduit for individual donors. Brown’s support for Israel includes sponsoring the United States-Israel Security Assistance Authorization Act in 2018, which aimed to authorize military assistance through fiscal year 2028. He also voted against a 2024 resolution to restrict arms sales and spoke publicly against antisemitism following a 2023 incident involving a teenager accused of planning a shooting at an Ohio synagogue.

The race has intensified with accusations linking both candidates to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Brown’s campaign released ads criticizing Husted for accepting more than $116,000 from Ohio billionaire Les Wexner, a financial client of Epstein. The most recent gift was a $3,500 donation in July 2025. Tom Evans, a spokesperson for Husted, countered that the Wexners have donated to candidates on both sides, including Brown, and noted that Husted’s campaign donated $34,000 to an anti-human trafficking charity.

Husted’s team also accused Brown of receiving more than $150,000 from a dozen individuals listed in the Epstein files, including Larry Summers and Eric Schmidt. Evans called Brown’s ads hypocritical, pointing out that the Democrat served in Washington for 32 years while the files remained sealed. Husted supported legislation to release the files in November 2025 but voted to table an amendment in September 2025 that would have required public disclosure of those documents.

A separate controversy arose when the Husted campaign dismissed senior staffer Stephen Woytek after The Washington Post reported that Woytek had used a photo of SS soldiers as his Facebook profile picture and maintained a playlist celebrating Rhodesia. Evans described Woytek as a military history student who reenacts battles and said Husted made the immediate decision to part ways with him. Josh Kramer, president of Ohio Jewish Communities, said the controversy was troubling but acknowledged that Husted acted once the matter was brought to his attention.

Kramer emphasized that Ohio Jewish Communities has a long history of working with both parties. He stated that the race offers an opportunity for candidates to demonstrate their commitment to the safety of Ohio’s Jewish population. Kramer added that he believes Ohio has demonstrated itself to be a more moderate state, or less open to extremism, than other states.