COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Democrat Sherrod Brown is slightly ahead of Republican Sen. Jon Husted in the 2026 Senate race, marking a competitive run in the recently right-leaning state.
New polling found Husted and Brown in a near deadlock, with Republican Vivek Ramaswamy holding a small lead in the 2026 governor's race. The data comes from a new Bowling Green State University Democracy and Public Policy Research Network poll of 800 registered Ohio voters across demographics released on Monday.
The poll was conducted Oct. 2-14 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 4.5%. See reports on previous polling in the video player above.
Competitive 2026 governor, senate races
Brown, who lost his Senate seat in 2024 to Bernie Moreno, is "in an essential dead heat" against Husted. It will be a special election for Ohioans, as Husted was appointed by Gov. Mike DeWine to serve in J.D. Vance's seat after Vance became vice president. BGSU found Brown barely leads the race over Husted, at 49%-48%. This marks a change from August, when Emerson College Polling had Husted with a six-point lead.
Can Ohioans grow intoxicating hemp under governor's ban?For governor, Ramaswamy holds a three-point lead, 50%-47%, over Democrat Amy Acton. Former congressman Tim Ryan is also reflected in the poll, although he has not yet announced whether he will run. Ramaswamy leads Ryan by two points in a statewide matchup, at 49%-47%. However, Acton has a 50%-41% lead on Ryan in a hypothetical Democratic primary.
“Democrats are likely to be encouraged by these numbers," Robert Alexander, professor of political science at BGSU, said. "We are likely to see a great deal of attention in the coming year to see if a state that has become reliably red still has a shade of purple left in it. With that said, the state remains a heavy lift for Democrats given recent election outcomes.”
Trump favorability
BGSU found President Donald Trump's approval rating has steadily fallen among Ohio voters, and now stands at a -10 favorability rating. This is a decline from his +6 favorable rating among Ohioans in February and -1 favorable rating in April.
Brewery defends child-free policy after backlashAccording to the poll, 60% of Ohioans oppose Trump's tariffs, 69% oppose changing the Department of Defense's name to the Department of War and 63% think governors should have the ability to decide if the National Guard is deployed in their state. Nearly three-fourths of Ohioans believe tariffs will benefit the wealthy.
As the government shutdown enters its fourth week, 46% of Ohioans said they blamed Trump "a great deal" for the shutdown. He received the most blame for the shutdown, with 41% of Ohioans placing blame on congressional Republicans, and 34% saying the same about congressional Democrats.
Prevailing political issues
Ohioans have grown less satisfied with democracy and the country's trajectory since polling in April. Although feelings about the state of Ohio stayed consistent, 53% of Ohioans believe the U.S. is on the wrong track, up from 50% in April. Only 24% are satisfied with the state of democracy, a notable drop from 30% in April.
Only 33% of Ohioans feel federal checks and balances are effective, down 9% from April. Most Ohioans think civil liberties are at risk, with 64% reporting they believe freedom of speech is being threatened. Democrats are much more likely to believe civil liberties are threatened, with 89% of Democrats and 44% of Republican feeling the freedom of speech is being threatened.
Big Lots offering deals after reopening Ohio storesEconomic opinions have improved somewhat since April, with 25% reporting their personal economic situation had improved, up from 16% in April. Fewer Ohioans believe the national economy has worsened, with 56% believing it has worsened, down from 61%.
Judge allows Ohio high school athletes to sign NIL dealsSpecific concerns: ICE, Epstein and violence
Most Ohioans, 51%, oppose Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids, 52% oppose ICE's use of unmarked cars and 54% oppose ICE officers wearing masks while working. However, ICE favorability is strongly divided among party lines. Regarding ICE raids, 95% of Democrats oppose them and 92% of Republicans favor them.
Ohioans also had strong feelings about the Jeffery Epstein case. More than 80% of Ohioans are familiar with Epstein, and 85% believe it is important to hold others accountable in the Epstein case. Almost 90% of Ohioans think there is "probably" or "definitely" a cover-up to protect powerful people, and respondents largely disapproved of Congress and Trump's handling of the investigation.
Nearly all Ohioans believed political violence is a problem, with 92% of respondents reporting political violence is an issue. Eighty-six percent said violence is never justified to achieve political goals, and 84% said Charlie Kirk's death reflects a larger national issue. Ohioans believe comments from political leaders (29%), social media (24%), individual mental health issues (23%) and news media (16%) contribute to violence.
Across the country, people were fired for posting favorably about Kirk's assassination. Ohioans largely believe it is "never acceptable" to publicly express contentedness when a public figure they disagree with is hurt (58%). Fewer Ohioans felt it was appropriate to fire an employee for comments on personal social media accounts, however.
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