Campaign

Husted, Brown to face off in Ohio Senate election

Comments:

by Julia Mueller - 05/05/26 7:42 PM ET

Comments:

Link copied

by Julia Mueller - 05/05/26 7:42 PM ET

Comments:

Link copied

NOW PLAYING

Sen. Jon Husted (R) and former Sen. Sherrod Brown (D) are projected to win their primaries for Senate in Ohio on Tuesday, teeing up a November showdown in one of the most competitive midterm races in the country.

Husted was unopposed in the GOP contest, and Brown easily defeated a longshot Democratic rival, according to Decision Desk HQ. They’ll face off this fall for the seat Husted assumed after Vice President Vance joined the Trump administration.

The race is considered one of just a few true toss-ups in the high-stakes fight for Senate control.

Brown, who served three terms in the Senate, was ousted in 2024 by now-Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio), coming in roughly 5 points behind as President Trump won the state by more than 10 points.

This cycle, Brown is back with a comeback bid, a major recruit for Democrats as they seek to flip the upper chamber. He hauled in $12.5 million in the first quarter of the year, dwarfing Husted’s $2.9 million in the same period.

In a sign of GOP jitters about the race, the Senate Leadership Fund (SLF), a big-dollar fundraising group affiliated with Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.), pledged a whopping $79 million for Ohio earlier this year, part of a midterm push that marked its largest-ever investment.

A DDHQ polling average found the Senate race has narrowed over the past year, with Brown and Trump-backed Husted now effectively tied as of April.

This year’s contest is a special election to fill the remainder of the term cut short by Vance’s ascension to the vice presidency. Last year, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) appointed Husted, then the lieutenant governor, to temporarily fill the open seat. Whoever wins this fall’s contest would need to run again in 2028 to secure a full term.

Add as preferred source on Google