CNN

Sen. Sherrod Brown doesn’t plan to campaign with Vice President Kamala Harris.

He plans to skip the Democratic National Convention. And the Democratic senator isn’t going to defend Harris’ record — or offer praise to President Joe Biden or to Harris over their handling of the U.S.-Mexico border.

Instead, Brown — now embroiled in a high-stakes reelection battle central to the fight for the next Senate majority — is making this calculation: finding a way to disqualify his opponent, Bernie Moreno, in the eyes of GOP-leaning voters and independents. And it starts with attacking Moreno’s character, past business practices and position on abortion — all as he tries to avoid being tied to the top of his ticket.

“It’s not left or right. It’s not who you vote for, for president,” Brown told CNN at a textile company just outside of Cleveland. “It’s who stands up for people in the state.”