Senator Sherrod Brown

A long and contentious battle for the Ohio Senate has ended in a victory for incumbent Senator Sherrod Brown.  Even as late as Monday though, the latest Rasmussen poll showed that Josh Mandel had some a long way in closing the gap with Brown.  He was just down 2 points among likely voters.

The three debates held by the candidates, could at least be described as 'heated,' and at times vitriolic, but in the end, Brown prevailed in yesterday's election by a fairly wide margin, 50.36% - 45.05%, despite reports of big outside money coming in to Mandel's campaign.

In the Ohio race, incumbent Sherrod Brown defeated Republican State Treasurer Josh Mandel.

Former Dayton Daily News editor Ellen Belcher says when Mandel decided to run against Brown, not many people gave him a chance - but when money started pouring in, the tide started turning.

"Its been up and down and there were moments when people thought Sherrod Brown could actually lose this. I think this is one of those times where those who think that money can't buy an election are proven right," says Belcher.

Democrat Sherrod Brown has won a new term in the U.S. Senate in Ohio after one of the most expensive and closely watched match-ups in the country.

Brown withstood an onslaught of attacks from conservative outside groups to top Republican challenger Josh Mandel -- the state treasurer and a veteran of the Iraq war. In his victory speech, Brown told supporters those groups thought the state could be bought but says they "just didn't know Ohio."

Both President Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney are in Ohio the final weekend before Tuesday's election. Emily McCord speaks to Ohio Statehouse News Bureau Chief Karen Kasler about the significance about campaigning in Southwest Ohio, whether or not the controversy surrounding the Romney's camp's Jeep talk will alter the election, and the state of the senate race and Issue 2.

The candidates in Ohio's U.S. Senate race are preparing to meet in the final debate of their heated campaign.

Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown and GOP state Treasurer Josh Mandel face off again Thursday evening in a Cincinnati TV studio. In Columbus last week, Mandel called Brown a liar, and Brown said the Republican can't be trusted.

Mandel has depicted the 59-year-old veteran Democrat as a career Washington politician, while Brown has described his 35-year-old challenger as opportunistic and more concerned about his next office than doing the job in the one he has.