Husted picks up Steak ‘n Shake endorsement in Ohio Senate race

Steak ‘n Shake has thrown its support behind Sen. Jon Husted (R-Ohio) in the toss-up Ohio Senate race — citing his commitment to the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement as the fast food company touts its alignment with the Trump administration’s health policies.

“We stand with Husted because he champions the #MAHA movement to clean up the American food supply chain and lower the cost for consumers,” the restaurant wrote on the social media platform X Thursday.

The Indiana based chain, which has highlighted its winning record in political endorsements this primary cycle, took a dig at Husted’s opponent, former Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), for “driving up grocery prices for every Ohio family” through his support of “extreme federal spending.”

Husted is locked in a tight race against Brown, with Cook Political Report and Decision Desk HQ rating the contest as a “toss up.” Brown served in the Senate for nearly two decades, losing his 2024 reelection bid to now-Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio.)

“Senator Husted is the only candidate fighting to make Ohio healthy, safe, and affordable again. #MAHA,” the fast-food restaurant wrote in response to a video of Husted talking about his food policy stances while standing in front of a Steak ‘n Shake stand.

The burger chain has made a series of moves in recents months in line with the White House’s agenda.

In 2025, Steak ‘n Shake committed to removing all seed oils from their restaurants and switched to only serving cane-sugar Coke-a-cola and grade-A Wisconsin sourced butter following priorities set forth by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The company also appointed a “chief MAHA officer” all in an effort to return fast food to its “glory days.”

Kennedy has sought to reshape nutrition in America since he took over the Department of Health and Human Services, reworking guidelines to follow an “upside down food pyramid” model that prioritizes vegetables, fruits, proteins, dairy and healthy fats at the top and whole grains at the bottom.

“Today, our government declares war on added sugar, highly processed foods loaded with additives, added sugar and excess salt,” Kennedy said at a January press conference.

Husted said in the Thursday video that he is fighting for transparency about the ingredients in food so Americans can “make wise, healthy choices about the food you eat.” The Ohio senator has been vocal about his support for food and nutrition reforms.

“As the executive branch and Congress work together to strengthen a variety of food safety processes, consistent ingredient transparency standards must be part of that conversation,” Husted wrote in a separate post to X in August.