Ohio's 2026 Senate race: What to know about Sherrod Brown vs Jon Husted

Ohio’s 2026 Senate race pits former Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown against Republican Sen. Jon Husted in a contest that could test whether Democrats can compete in a state that has shifted to the right and help determine control of the Senate.

Brown won his party’s 2026 Senate nomination, setting up a general election against Husted.

Brown represented Ohio in Congress for nearly three decades before losing his 2024 reelection bid to Republican Bernie Moreno. 

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Husted, a former Ohio lieutenant governor, was appointed to the Senate after JD Vance resigned to become vice president.

What to know about the candidates

Dig deeper:

Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown

Brown served three terms in the Senate and was previously a member of the U.S. House. He became known for a pro-labor message and continued to attract support from some working-class and swing voters as Ohio shifted toward the Republican Party.

His campaign platform includes proposals to restrict health insurance companies from denying care, lower prescription drug prices and require data centers to cover the full cost of their utilities. Brown also supports limits on utility rate increases and a ban on members of Congress and their spouses trading individual stocks.

What they're saying:

"No one in the Senate is standing up to these corporations who raise your prices and who game the system," Brown said back in May when he won the primary. He continued, "Ohioans don’t have anyone fighting for you, until November."

Republican Sen. Jon Husted

Before joining the Senate, Husted served as Ohio’s lieutenant governor, secretary of state, a state senator and speaker of the Ohio House.

His work in state government included economic development, workforce training, education and election administration. In the Senate, Husted serves on committees focused on health, education, labor, small business, the environment and federal spending.

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What they're saying:

"In Ohio, it's always about the economy," Husted told FOX's midterm election analysis show Battleground. "We have in Ohio right now the most jobs we've ever had in the history of our state and the lowest unemployment rate we've ever had in the history of our state."

"And so there is a lot of good news to talk about. Ohioans know that I am the guy who creates jobs. I have received a lot of endorsements from both business groups and labor groups."

Why the race matters

Why you should care:

The winner of the November election will serve the final two years of Vance’s Senate term. Vance was elected to the Senate in 2022 but left office after he and President Donald Trump won the 2024 presidential election.

The contest is expected to be closely watched as Democrats seek to compete in states that have shifted toward Republicans in recent elections. Democrats need to gain four Senate seats to take control of the chamber, according to the AP.

Economic concerns are expected to be a central issue in the race, including the cost of fuel, groceries and other household expenses. Trade also has implications for Ohio, which exported $17.5 billion in goods to Canada in 2025, representing about 31% of the state’s total goods exports, according to federal data. U.S. Trade Representative.

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Those issues have drawn attention in communities such as Parma, a Cleveland suburb that supported both Trump and Brown in 2024. At a watch party for the Republican midterm convention in Dallas, Parma City Councilor Kevin Kussmaul said economic concerns could influence voters.

"The real thing that’ll move the needle is going to be economics. Gas prices, grocery prices," Kussmaul said. "That’s really what’s going to help."

What do the polls say?

By the numbers:

According to FOX News, Trump won Ohio by 11 points in 2024. Still, a vulnerability for Husted is his connection to Trump, as 51% are concerned that he’s too close to the president. That’s up 5 points from 46% who felt that way about Husted in June. Plus, fewer voters, 44%, are worried Brown is too closely tied to the Democratic Party establishment.

While 87% of Republicans favor Husted, fully 97% of Democrats back Brown. The Democrat also draws 11% crossover support from Republicans overall and 25% among non-MAGA Republicans. Two-thirds of independents also favor Brown.

All those factors help Brown remain 8 points ahead of Husted in the race for Ohio’s Senate seat, 53% to 45%, a margin unchanged since June.

Brown’s lead expands to 10 points (54-44%) among those who rate their certainty to vote as a 10 out of 10, and to 15 points (57-42%) among those saying they are extremely motivated to vote.

In addition, those most motivated to turn out this year — liberals, voters with a college degree, and supporters of the Democratic Socialists of America — prefer their former Senator.

Brown has significant advantages among liberals (+88 points), urban voters (+37), those in union households (+31), voters under age 45 (+17), women (+16), and college graduates (+9).

Husted is favored among conservatives (+65 points), White evangelical Christians (+42), White men without a college degree (+17), rural residents (+12), and married voters (+6).

Meanwhile, Brown has the most positive personal rating of the candidates tested (51% favorable, 47% unfavorable), while ratings for Husted are 10 percentage points underwater (43% favorable, 53% unfavorable).

Part of Brown's advantage is driven by affinity, as 67% of his supporters say their vote is mainly for him rather than in opposition to Husted. Among those favoring Husted, 58% say they are motivated to vote for him, not against Brown.