If you love the country, you will fight for the people who make it work every day.
That was the message U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D., Ohio) wanted to leave with his colleagues as he prepares to depart from Congress.
On Tuesday, Mr. Brown gave a final teary-eyed speech on the Senate floor, where he’s represented Ohio for the past 18 years but hinted that he wasn’t done yet.
“When I walk off the Senate floor at the end of this year, nothing changes,” Mr. Brown said. “I’m not taking off this pin. I’m not giving up my fight for workers.”
Mr. Brown’s comment was a nod to his signature pin of a canary in a birdcage that he received 25 years ago at a Memorial Day rally in Lorain, Ohio. Since then, it has become almost permanently fixed on his chest, except for when he joined the Senate. He wore a traditional pin indicating his new Senator-status for a few days before replacing it with his signature canary.
“It didn’t feel right, so I took it off,” he said.
Mr. Brown lost his re-election bid in November to Cleveland businessman Bernie Moreno. Mr. Brown received about 46 percent of the vote, compared to Mr. Moreno’s 50 percent. The race became the most expensive nonpresidential election bid in U.S. history. According to AdImpact, which tracks funding for campaign advertisements, about $483 million was spent for and against both candidates.