Ohio Senate: Democrat Brown Has 3-Point Lead

Former Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown narrowly leads incumbent Republican Sen. Jon Husted 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, 46% of Likely Ohio voters would vote for Brown, while 43% would vote for Husted. Three percent (3%) support Libertarian candidate William B. Redpath, two percent (2%) favor independent candidate Greg Levy, and seven percent (7%) are undecided. (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.

Brown, who lost his Senate seat to Republican Sen. Bernie Moreno in 2024, is supported by 93% of Democrats, while 81% of Republicans would vote for Husted. Among Ohio voters not affiliated with either major party, 47% would vote for Brown and 29% favor Husted, while 15% are not sure.

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The survey of 1,115 Ohio Likely Voters was conducted on September 22-23, 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.

The “gender gap” in the Ohio Senate race is a net 13 points, with women voters favoring Brown by a nine-point margin, 48% to 39%, while men favor Husted by a four-point margin, 47% to 43%.

Forty-one percent (41%) of whites, 75% of black voters, 62% of Hispanics and 64% of other minorities would vote for Brown, while Husted is supported by 48% of whites, 13% of black voters, 22% of Hispanics and 26% of other minorities.

Brown leads by 15 points, 49% to 34%, among Ohio voters under 30. Husted’s strongest support is from voters in their 40s.

Eighty-four percent (84%) of self-identified Very Liberal voters support Brown, while 86% of Very Conservative voters favor Husted. Brown has more than a 3-to-1 advantage among moderate voters, with 66% to Husted’s 20%.

Breaking down the Ohio electorate by income categories, Brown leads by a 28-point margin, 60% to 32%, among voters earning more than $200,000 a year, while Husted leads among those with annual incomes between $50,000 and $200,000.

Among those who voted for Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election, 86% would vote for Brown, while Husted is supported by 72% of Donald Trump voters.

An agreement for American security rights in Greenland is approved by a majority of voters, although most voters still don’t see President Donald Trump doing a good job on national security. 

Former Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper leads former Republican National Committee chairman Michael Whatley in North Carolina’s U.S. Senate race. 

Additional information from this survey and a full demographic breakdown are available to Platinum Members only.

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