Ohio Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown has lost the support of a major police union in his state for the first time in a dozen years, according to a Saturday report.

The New York Post said Brown lost the endorsement of the Ohio Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) for the first time since being elected to the Senate in the increasingly red state. The organization withdrew its support following a tweet he made about a controversial shooting as the main reason.

After the shooting of a 16-year-old girl named Ma’Khia Bryant by the police in Columbus in 2021, Brown took to Twitter to express his strong criticism of the event, connecting it to wider problems of police violence that were brought to light during the Derek Chauvin trial. His tweet and the comments that followed appeared to have greatly impacted the decision of the FOP, according to the report.

Mike Weinman, a spokesman for the Ohio FOP, said many members were disappointed by Brown’s immediate response to the incident.

“It came down to a tweet,” Weinman said, the New York Post reported. “There was a shooting here, and Sherrod, instead of taking time to listen and talk to us and understand the situation, did what all these people do now and got on his phone. Brown made a comment. It’s a shame.”

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The Post noted that Brown’s endorsement fell short by four votes during a floor vote. The outlet also reported that Brown’s GOP opponent, Bernie Moreno, also did not receive the FOP endorsement, mostly due to procedural reasons and his dearth of political experience, not his political stances.

This withdrawal of FOP support comes at a critical juncture for Brown, who stands as the lone prominent Democrat in a state that’s turning more Republican, as reported by The Post. While the senator still has a lead over Moreno, the change in backing from important organizations such as the FOP could sway the outcome of his campaign for re-election.

Meanwhile, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) is locked in a surprisingly tight race for a U.S. Senate seat as well against former Major League Baseball great and Republican candidate Steve Garvey.

Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom of California appointed Laphonza Butler to the U.S. Senate seat until November, following the death of Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein in September of last year. The winner of a special election in November will fill the remaining two months of Feinstein’s term. Golden State voters will also be asked to select the person to serve as the office’s successor for the next six years in a separate ballot item. That means voters will have the option of selecting one candidate to serve a two-month term in the special election and another one to run for a full six-year term in the regularly scheduled election.

The California U.S. Senate race was already among the most costly in the state’s history.

“Only one new poll was released in June, showing virtually no new change since May. According to the June 2024 PPIC poll, Schiff is leading Garvey 62% to 37%. However, as previously noted, PPIC polls should be taken with a grain of salt. The more accurate Berkeley IGS is due to come out soon, as are others, which should paint a more accurate picture of where things are,” the California Globe reported.

Schiff and Garvey have been raising money ever since ABC News noted.

“Schiff has far out-raised his opponents in the race. Federal Election Commission filings reveal that as of the end of March, the Democrat had raised close to $35 million in campaign contributions, while Garvey has raised about $5.5 million,” USA Today reported.

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