Sen. Sherrod Brown, coming off last week's election to a third term representing Ohio, said Monday he's considering a presidential run in 2020, as he's hearing "sort of a crescendo" of interest in his seeking a White House run.
"We're hearing it increase, so we're thinking about it as a result," the Ohio Democrat told The Columbus Dispatch shortly after commenting during MSNBC's "Morning Joe" that he sees his campaign as a "blueprint" to help Democrats "prepare" for the race.
He said there is a great deal of interest being shown on the Facebook page of his wife, Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Connie Schultz. After the Dispatch's story came out, she shared it, commenting that "We are considering this because so many are urging us to. Your thoughts are welcome."
Brown's win came in the strongly red state of Ohio, where Republicans swept most races and held onto their House seats, despite the Democratic wins nationwide. He was the only Democrat to win a major office in the state and said his emphasis on working Americans was why.
He said there were some suggesting he run for president during the campaign, but said since that win the suggestions have gotten "pretty overwhelming."
As for now, Brown told The Dispatch that his first mission is to reach out to people in the industrial Midwest and to encourage people to start talking about American workers.
“We’ll see later on about the presidential race," said Brown, "but we are thinking about it for the first time seriously.”
On MSNBC, Brown commented that he respects "the dignity of work, and I think that’s what Washington forgets about."