Ohio Senate: Republican Husted Takes Lead

Incumbent Republican Sen. Jon Husted has moved ahead of former Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown in the special election for a U.S. Senate seat in Ohio.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that, if the election were held today, 49% of Likely Ohio voters would vote for Husted, while 47% would vote for Brown. Libertarian candidate William B. Redpath and independent candidate Greg Levy each get one percent (1%) support, and two percent (2%) are undecided. In September, Brown led by three points, 46% to 43%. (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 94% of Ohio Republican voters, while 88% of Democrats would vote for Brown. Among independent voters, 58% would vote for Brown and 33% favor Husted.

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The survey of 901 Ohio Likely Voters was conducted on October 12-14, 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-two percent (82%) of all Ohio Likely Voters say they’re excited about voting in the midterm elections, including 54% who are Very Excited. More Democrats (67%) than Republicans (60%) are Very Excited about voting in the midterms.

The “gender gap” in Ohio is a net 16 points, with men favoring Husted, 53% to 42% while women voters prefer Brown, 51% to 46%.

Fifty-four percent (54%) of whites, 17% of black voters, 59% of Hispanics and 46% of other minorities support Husted, while 43% of whites, 74% of black voters, 32% of Hispanics and 47% of other minorities would vote for Brown.

Husted leads by 12 points, 54% to 42%, among Ohio voters ages 50 to 64, while Brown holds a 20-point lead, 56% to 36%, among those under 30.

Eighty-six percent (86%) of Very Conservative voters favor Husted, while 90% of Very Liberal voters prefer Brown. Among moderate voters in Ohio, Brown leads 55% to 36%.

Breaking down the Ohio electorate by income categories, Husted leads 55% to 42% among those earning between $100,000 and $200,000 a year, while Brown leads 50% to 43% among voters with annual incomes below $30,000.

Eighty-two percent (82%) of those who voted for Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election would vote for Husted, while 88% of Kamala Harris voters would vote for Brown.

The Democratic Party’s lead over Republicans has narrowed to four points in the battle to control the House of Representatives. 

A majority of voters believe non-citizens are illegally registered to vote in their state, and consider it likely this could have an impact on this year’s midterm elections. 

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

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