It’s unclear whether Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown’s unique GOP roster of partners will help him break through or whether his bills will bog down in partisanship.
Francis Chung/POLITICO

Vance acknowledged that Brown probably wishes he hadn’t endorsed a GOP challenger in the race but added that “we’re still trying to work together in the interim.” Brown said things are still “good” with Vance.

Beyond his Ohio colleague, Brown has two other influential potential GOP partners in NRSC chief Daines and presidential contender Scott, the ranking member of the Banking Committee.

Still, Brown had sharp words for Daines, alleging that he has not rounded up enough Republican votes to counteract Democrats who are balking at a provision in the cannabis banking bill, known as SAFE Banking.

Daines responded in kind to Brown’s charge: “That is 100 percent false. The problem is not in Republican votes … We had an agreement, but then they walked it back.”

Neither blamed the elephant in the room — Daines’ pursuit of Brown’s defeat next year — for the impasse.

Unlike in West Virginia and Montana, Daines has not specifically recruited a candidate to take on Brown. The NRSC is currently staying hands-off in a three-way primary among Secretary of State Frank LaRose, state Sen. Matt Dolan and businessperson Moreno.

Either way, it’s inarguable that the Brown-Daines charges indicate the cannabis bill is in real peril. And Brown predicted that Scott would not end up supporting the legislation amid the uncertainty over its status.

Yet after the retirement of Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), the two top members of the Banking panel have created an effective odd-couple bond. One of the last red-state Democrats (Brown) and a conservative senator seeking the presidency (Scott) have teamed up to advance a bill hitting back at fentanyl traffickers. Their work now has a good chance of becoming law as part of the must-pass defense bill.

The duo also forged a surprising and popular compromise on a bill that lets regulators claw back compensation from leaders of failed financial institutions.

Scott did not comment for this story. But it’s clear that, at least for the moment, he and Brown are finding a way forward. It doesn’t hurt that both men are politically incentivized to take on bad-acting Wall Street executives and drug traffickers during their 2024 campaigns.

“Scott’s running for president. Toomey wasn’t,” Brown said. “Scott is probably more practical than Toomey; Scott is a pretty conservative guy, too. But we have found things we can do together.”