Who?
Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) — Outgoing-Chair, Senate Banking Committee
LISTEN: Laslo & Brown
Ask a Pol asks:
How big of a role do you think crypto played in your loss in November?
Key Brown:
“I lost because Harris lost the state by 11.5 points. I couldn't run ahead of that,” Sen. Sherrod Brown exclusively told Ask a Pol. “I ran 7.5 points ahead of her. I couldn't have done any better than that.”
“Hey big spender…”
“They put a lot of money in my race, but $220 million was put in my race. Literally, 20 times what [fmr. Sen. and current Ohio Gov. Mike] DeWine spent when I beat him and when he was incumbent senator in 2006,” Brown said. “Crypto was a part of that, but…so were a number of other special interests.”
Caught our ear:
“The interesting thing is, in not one of those ads, that I know of, at least in Ohio, did they talk about crypto,” Brown told us. “They don't talk about crypto. They don't. They spend all this money, they don't say what it is, what it means, why it's a great thing. And then they say…voters voted for crypto.”
Below find a rough transcript of Ask a Pol’s exclusive interview with Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), slightly edited for clarity.
TRANSCRIPT: Sen. Sherrod Brown
SCENE: In December, after casting one of his last votes in the US Senate, recently ousted Sen. Sherrod Brown’s walking back to his office across the street from the Capitol via an underground tunnel.
After Brown raps up an interview with another congressional reporter, Ask a Pol’s Matt Laslo proceeds to walk along the Senate trams. When Brown bumps into his colleague, Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HA), the two have a brief private conversation that’s off mic. Then, at the end, he takes a call from his staff, which effectively ends the impromptu interview.
Sherrod Brown: “Now I gotta talk to him?”
Brown quips to the other reporter while pointing to Laslo.
Matt Laslo: “Yeah. I’m sorry about that!”
Other reporter: “It’s punishment.”
SB: “Punishment. Exactly.”
ICYMI — Crypto regulation has been in motion in 2024
ML: “Did you catch that 60 Minutes episode with the crypto bros or whatever?”
SB: “I heard about it. I didn’t see it.”
ML: “Well in it — how big of a role do you think crypto played in your race?”
SB: “Well, I woulda lost — I lost because Harris lost the state by 11.5 points. I couldn't run ahead of that.”
ML: “Yeah?”
SB: “I mean, I ran 7.5 points ahead of her. I couldn't have done any better than that, so…”
Brown and Laslo overtake a slow walking Sen. Mazie Hirono, who Brown greets and then briefly chats with.
SB: “Mazie.”
Mazie Hirono: “Do you know I…”
We give the two senators space to have a private conversation.
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SB: “It’s certainly occurred to us.”
MH: “I mean not that you guys need any help, right? But...”
SB: “No, no. It’s certainly occurred to us, for sure Mazie.” .
Hirono laughs.
SB: “But that’s the right light to shine on it, Maze. I appreciate that.”
Brown and Laslo pick up where they left off.
ML: “I was curious what you think of the narrative from these crypto guys, because at the end of that 60 Minutes thing, it was interesting, because they [flexed]…”
SB: “They put a lot of money in my race, but $220 million was put in my race. Literally, 20 times what [fmr. Sen. and current Ohio Gov. Mike] DeWine spent when I beat him and when he was incumbent senator in 2006 — 20 times, 22 times, probably. 20 times what he spent. I mean, but crypto was a part of that, but so was 10s of — you know, so were a number of other special interests.”
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ML: “Yeah? And that's the interesting thing, it seems like the narrative they're latching on to is…”
SB: “They did it.”
ML: “Yeah.”
SB: “But the interesting thing is, in not one of those ads that I know of, at least in Ohio, did they talk about crypto.”
ML: “Right?”
SB: “They never, they never sell — they talk… They don't talk about crypto. They don't. They spend all this money, they don't say what it is, what it means, why it's a great thing.”
ML: “Yeah?”
SB: “And then they say crypto voters voted — voters voted for crypto…”
Brown gets a call from his staff.
Listen: Brown II — same interview, but cleaned up audio
SB: “I'm sorry.”
ML: “Yeah.”
SB: “Sarah, I’m on my way now…”
ML: “Merry Christmas, sir.
SB: “Okay.”
ML: “Have a good one.”
Andrey Beregovskiy contributed to this report.
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