Ohio Senate Race

2026 Election • Class 1 Special Election
Back to Senate Races

Primary

Democratic Primary

Held May 5, 2026.

CandidateVotes%
Sherrod Brown 712,106 89.4%
Ron Kincaid 84,405 10.6%

Republican Primary

Held May 5, 2026.

CandidateVotes%
Jon Husted 736,413 100.0%

Full calendar and every race: Ohio primary guide

Race Overview

Incumbent
Jon Husted
Party
Republican
Open Seat
No
Current Rating
Likely D our polls experts: Lean R
Special Note
Vance seat - appointed Jon Husted
Polls
4 polls

PollingSource Rating

Likely D
Our polling average D+7.0 · 4 polls
⚑ Our polls diverge from the expert consensus — the story to watch.

General Election Polling Trend

PollingSource average — trailing average of all polls from the last 30 days.

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Expert Ratings

Cook Political Report

Lean R

Inside Elections

Tilt R
Changed from Likely R on Feb 1

Sabato's Crystal Ball

Leans R
Changed from Lean R on Feb 1

Candidates

Candidate information will be updated as primaries conclude and nominees are confirmed.

General Election Polling Average

Democrat
51.5%
Republican
44.5%
Margin
D+7.0
Last Poll
Aug 10, 2026

Average reflects all polls from the last 30 days; table shows the most recent 30 days or the newest 3 polls, whichever is more — subscribe for the full history. How accurate is each pollster? →

PollsterDateSampleMoEDemRep
Beacon Research/Shaw & Company Research 2026-08-10 1008 RV ±3.00 Sherrod Brown 53.00% Jon Husted 45.00%
Beacon 2026-08-10 Sherrod Brown 53.00% Jon Husted 45.00%
Beacon Research (D)/ Shaw & Co. Research (R) ±2.3 2026-08-10 1008 RV ±3.00 Sherrod Brown 53.00% Jon Husted 45.00%
FOX News 2026-08-10 1008 RV ±3.00 Brown 53.00% Husted 45.00%
Tulchin 2026-08-04 Sherrod Brown 47.00% Jon Husted 43.00%
Tulchin Research (D) partisan·D 2026-08-04 600 LV ±4.00 Sherrod Brown 47.00% Jon Husted 43.00%

Questions About This Race

Who is winning the 2026 Ohio Senate race?

Sherrod Brown leads Jon Husted 51.5% to 44.5% in the PollingSource polling average — a D+7.0 margin based on 4 polls from the last 30 days.

Is the 2026 Ohio Senate race competitive?

It is not considered a top-tier battleground: the PollingSource polling average rates it Likely D, meaning Democrats are clearly favored but an upset is not impossible. Note: our polling average (Likely D) diverges from the expert consensus (Lean R) — that gap makes this a race to watch.

What does the latest poll of the 2026 Ohio Senate race say?

The most recent public poll, from Beacon Research/Shaw & Company Research (completed August 10, 2026), found Sherrod Brown (D) at 53% and Jon Husted (R) at 45%.

When is the 2026 Ohio Senate race decided?

Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, 2026. This is a special election.

How is the PollingSource average calculated?

The PollingSource average is the unweighted mean of every scientific public poll of the race from the last 30 days — we do not exclude pollsters. Each race page lists the individual polls behind the average with pollster, field dates, sample size, and margin of error. Full details: pollingsource.com/methodology.

Race Notes

Vance vacated for VP; Husted appointed

Independent Expenditures Updated 1 hour ago

$8,375,429
Total IE Spending
$4,027,557
Support
$4,347,872
Oppose

Top Spenders

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Race News