Two former senators are mounting bids to reclaim their old seats, a feat accomplished by only a handful of lawmakers in the past century. Sherrod Brown, the Ohio Democrat who lost reelection in 2024, and John E. Sununu, a New Hampshire Republican who was ousted in 2008, are both hoping to beat the historical odds.
Brown's defeat last year to Republican Bernie Moreno ended a 12-year Senate career, as Ohio has shifted decisively toward the GOP. Sununu, meanwhile, has been out of the chamber for nearly two decades, having lost to Democrat Jeanne Shaheen during the 2008 wave that swept Barack Obama into the White House. Shaheen is now retiring, opening a seat in a state that has become increasingly difficult for Republicans.
If either man wins in November, they would face a procedural reality that has tripped up past returnees: seniority is not carried over. In a chamber where committee assignments and office space are tied to tenure, both would likely start at the bottom, effectively as first-term lawmakers.
For Brown, who chaired the Senate Banking Committee before his departure, the demotion would be stark. Two years ago, he was one of the most powerful Democrats in the chamber. Sununu, who ranked near the bottom of his committees when he left, would have less to lose, but he would still be making history: an 18-year gap between terms would be the longest of any senator to serve nonconsecutive terms.
Neither campaign responded to requests for comment on how the candidates would handle the loss of seniority. The issue is not new—since 1913, when senators began to be elected by popular vote, only 16 have been voted out and later returned. A few, like former Sen. Dan Coats of Indiana, returned after resigning, but the precedent for those who lost is clear.
The question of whether returning senators should reclaim their old seniority has lingered for a century. In 1954, Alben Barkley, who had left to become vice president, was treated as senior upon his return. But in recent decades, the pattern has shifted. Frank Lautenberg, who returned in 2002 after retiring, did not get his old committee posts. Coats, who came back in 2011, was assigned different committees than he had before. Hubert Humphrey and Slade Gorton both returned to their former committees but at lower ranks.
Brown and Sununu would likely face similar treatment, but first they must win. Brown is locked in a tight race against Ohio's appointed senator, Jon Husted, with the Cook Political Report rating it a toss-up. Sununu faces Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas in a race that leans Democratic, though New Hampshire's political volatility—its state legislature has flipped between parties recently—suggests an upset is possible.
The stakes are high for both parties as they jockey for control of the Senate. Brown's return would be a major boost for Democrats in a state that has drifted right, while Sununu's comeback would give Republicans a rare pickup in New England. Both candidates are betting that voters will look past their previous defeats and give them a second chance, even if the Senate's seniority system won't.
