Ohio Senate: Husted, Brown Now Tied

Ohio’s special election for a U.S. Senate seat is a tie between Incumbent Republican Sen. Jon Husted and former Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that, if the election were held today, 46% of Likely Ohio voters would vote for Husted, while another 46% would vote for Brown. Three percent (3%) would vote for Libertarian candidate William B. Redpath (3%) and two percent (2%) for independent candidate Greg Levy, while three percent (3%) are undecided. Earlier in October, Husted led by two points, 49% to 47%. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

Husted was appointed by Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine last year to fill the seat vacated when J.D. Vance became Vice President; this special election will decide who holds the seat for the remaining two years of Vance’s term.

Husted is supported by 83% of Ohio Republican voters, while 84% of Democrats would vote for Brown. Among voters not affiliated with either major party, 54% would vote for Brown and 35% favor Husted.

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The survey of 1,119 Ohio Likely Voters was conducted on October 27-31, 2026 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

Eighty-one percent (81%) of all Ohio Likely Voters say they’re excited about voting in the midterm elections, including 55% who are Very Excited. More Democrats (67%) than Republicans (57%) or unaffiliated voters (42%) are Very Excited about voting in the midterms.

Fifty-four percent (54%) of all Ohio Likely Voters have taken advantage of early voting either in person (37%) or by mail (17%), while 44% are waiting to vote on Election Day. More Democrats (66%) than Republicans (53%) or unaffiliated voters (47%) have voted early.

The “gender gap” in Ohio is a net 14 points, with men favoring Husted, 51% to 42% while women voters prefer Brown, 49% to 45%.

Fifty-two percent (52%) of whites, 15% of black voters, 33% of Hispanics and 28% of other minorities support Husted, while 41% of whites, 77% of black voters, 55% of Hispanics and 62% of other minorities would vote for Brown.

Husted leads by 10 points, 52% to 42%, among Ohio voters 65 and older, while Brown holds a 12-point lead, 53% to 41%, among those under 30.

Eighty-nine percent (89%) of Very Conservative voters favor Husted, while 78% of Very Liberal voters prefer Brown. Among moderate voters in Ohio, Brown leads 56% to 35%.

Breaking down the Ohio electorate by income categories, Husted leads 56% to 41% among those earning over $200,000 a year, while Brown leads 53% to 42% among voters with annual incomes between $100,000 and $200,000.

Seventy-nine percent (79%) of those who voted for Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election would vote for Husted, while 81% of Kamala Harris voters would vote for Brown.

Democrat state auditor Rob Sand leads Republican businessman Zach Lahn in the race to replace outgoing Gov. Kim Reynolds in Iowa. 

Republican U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson has moved ahead of Democrat state Rep. Josh Turek in the race to fill the Iowa Senate seat vacated by the retirement of Republican Sen. Joni Ernst. 

Additional information from this survey and a full demographic breakdown are available to the public as well as Platinum Members.

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