Pink Rose Society

Ohio 2026 U.S. Senate Race

A special election for the seat JD Vance vacated to become Vice President — and a genuine toss-up. Republican Jon Husted, appointed by Mike DeWine in January 2025, defends against Democrat Sherrod Brown, seeking a comeback after his 2024 loss.

The matchup

  • Republican: Jon Husted (appointed incumbent). Won his primary unopposed (720,959).
  • Democratic: Sherrod Brown (three-term senator; lost 2024 to Bernie Moreno 46.5–50.1). Beat Ron Kincaid 89.7%–10.3% in the primary.
  • Also on the ballot: Libertarian Bill Redpath and independent Gregory Levy.
  • Election: November 3, 2026. The winner serves the remainder of the term (through Jan 3, 2029) and must run again in 2028 for a full six-year term.

State of the race (as of late June 2026)

  • Ratings: Cook Political Report Toss-up; Sabato's Crystal Ball moved Lean R → Toss-up (June 11); Inside Elections Tilt Republican.
  • Polling: competitive and within margin — Fox News had Brown +8 (late May); Siena/NYT had Husted +3 (late June); AARP had Brown +3 (mid-June).
  • Money: Brown is out-raising Husted (~$14.4M to ~$10.5M in receipts).
  • Endorsements: Husted — President Trump, gov nominee Vivek Ramaswamy, National Border Patrol Council. Brown — Ohio AFL-CIO and building-trades unions (IBEW, Boilermakers, Operating Engineers), reflecting his Labor and Working-Class Politics in Ohio base.
  • Cook's Jessica Taylor: "Brown functions more as the incumbent … while the appointed Husted is a comparative newcomer."

Why it matters

The Senate is 53–45 Republican heading in; this is one of ~11 national battlegrounds and directly relevant to majority math. It also tests whether Brown's economic-populist, pro-worker coalition can win statewide again after 2024.

Sources