Former Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown (D) raised more than $3.6 million in the first 24 hours after he launched his comeback campaign for the Senate on Monday.

Brown’s campaign said in a release Tuesday that the donations came from all 88 of Ohio’s counties and 95 percent of them were less than $100, averaging $53 per donation. The release states that $3 million went to Brown’s campaign itself, while the other $600,000 went to affiliated joint fundraising committees that can support his campaign. 

“Ohioans are fired up to send Sherrod Brown to fight for them in the Senate,” Brown campaign manager Patrick Eisenhauer said in a statement. “Sherrod has lived his life by three principles: standing up for workers, treating everyone with dignity and respect, and working as hard as possible for the people of Ohio. He’s running to be a voice for Ohioans and fight back against politicians doing the bidding of corporations and billionaires.” 

Brown’s entrance into the Senate race against Sen. Jon Husted (R) is a win for Democrats who are hoping to make the contest competitive as they face a tough map to win back control of the Senate next year. Ohio has increasingly voted for President Trump through each of his three presidential campaigns, but Brown was the last Democrat elected statewide and has consistently outperformed the top of the ticket. 

He lost reelection last year by about 3.5 points to Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio). Husted was appointed to fill the Senate seat vacated by Vice President Vance and is running in a special election to serve the remainder of the term. 

Whoever wins the election would have to run again in 2028 if they wish to serve a full term. 

Brown has sought to develop a reputation for himself as a champion of the working class and Ohioans. Still, he will face an uphill battle in a state that has increasingly elected Republicans statewide in recent years.