Former Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown leads Republican Senator Jon Husted in Ohio’s Senate race, 52% to 47%, according to a Fox News poll released October 15‑19, 2026. The margin reflects Brown’s stronger personal standing and voter discontent with the economy and President Trump.
Poll Highlights
Brown’s favorability sits at 50% favorable and 48% unfavorable, a net positive of two points. Husted’s rating is 42% favorable and 55% unfavorable, a net negative of 13 points.
Eighty‑eight percent of Brown supporters say they are certain of their vote, compared with 83% of Husted backers. This certainty underscores a higher turnout expectation for Brown’s base.
Economic anxiety weighs on Husted: 46% of voters say their finances are worse than two years ago, versus 19% who say they are better, delivering a 49‑point advantage to Brown among the financially stressed. Conversely, those who report stable or improving finances back Husted by 51 and 24 points respectively.
President Trump’s approval rating stands at 43%, with 57% disapproving, creating another headwind for Husted. Only 43% of Ohio voters approve of his job performance, while a majority disapproves.
Demographic Divide
Women favor Brown by 14 points, while men support Husted by 4, yielding an 18‑point gender gap. Brown also leads among voters under 35, college‑educated, union members and urban or suburban residents.
Husted dominates rural communities, non‑college White men, married voters and those 65 and older. His support is strongest in those traditional Republican constituencies.
Ninety percent of Republicans back Husted, but nine percent cross over to Brown, whereas 97% of Democrats support Brown and only two percent choose Husted. Independents break two‑to‑one for Brown.
Voters who view both candidates unfavorably prefer Husted by nearly 20 points. This indicates that Husted’s stronger personal standing offsets his unfavorable ratings among the broader electorate.
Brown leads by nine points among the most engaged voters and by 29 points among the 15% who have already voted. High enthusiasm and early voting bolster his advantage.
Ohioans are split 50% to 48% on which party should control the U.S. Senate. This near‑even split suggests a tightly contested race.
Governor Contest
Democrat Amy Acton leads Republican Vivek Ramaswamy 50% to 48% in the gubernatorial race. Women back Acton by 10 points, while men favor Ramaswamy by 7, mirroring the Senate gender gap.
Eight percent of Brown supporters switch to Ramaswamy, and six percent of Husted supporters back Acton. This bidirectional ticket splitting reflects a fluid electorate.
Poll Methodology
The poll surveyed 2,005 registered Ohio voters—219 landline, 1,306 cellphone and 480 online—yielding a ±2 percentage‑point margin of error for the likely‑voter subset of 1,592. Weighting adjusted for age, race, education and geography using American Community Survey data ensures the sample mirrors the registered voter population.
Victoria Balara contributed to this report.
