Ohio poll finds Republicans slightly ahead but within margin of error in Senator, governor races

by: Katie Millard

Posted: Oct 14, 2026 / 11:00 AM EDT

Updated: Oct 15, 2026 / 06:55 AM EDT

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COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Ohio continues to be a toss-up as a new poll places Republican candidates narrowly ahead but within the margin of error of Democrats.

According to a co/efficient poll of 925 likely Ohio voters, Republican Vivek Ramaswamy polled at 45% to Democrat Amy Acton’s 43% in the governor’s race, and Republican Jon Husted had 44% to Democrat Sherrod Brown’s 43% in the Senate race. See previous coverage of the election in the video player above.

The poll was conducted on Oct. 5 and 6 with a margin of error of plus-or-minus 3.49 percentage points. Of the respondents, 44% self-identified as conservative, 36% self-identified as moderate and 20% self-identified as liberal.

The races are among the nation’s most competitive, and the co/efficient poll follows two previous polls that had Democrats slightly ahead within the margin of error. The Cook Political Report and Sabato’s Crystal Ball place both Ohio’s Senate race and governor’s race as one of a handful of “toss-ups” nationwide.

When asked who voters would select in the governor’s race, 45% picked Ramaswamy, 43% picked Acton, 3% picked Libertarian Don Kissick and 8% reported they were undecided. Ramaswamy is a biotech billionaire from Cincinnati, and Acton is from Youngstown and best known for her role as Ohio’s health director in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the Senate race, 44% said they’d vote for Husted, 43% said they’d vote for Brown, 4% said they’d vote for either Independent Greg Levy or Libertarian William Redpath, and 9% were undecided. When asked to just pick between Husted or Brown, 46% of respondents said they’d pick Husted, 45% said they’d pick Brown and 9% remained undecided.

The Senate race is a special election to serve the remaining two years of a term vacated by J.D. Vance when he became vice president. Upon Vance’s resignation in January 2025, Gov. Mike DeWine appointed Husted to fill the seat until the November 2026 election.

Husted, formerly Ohio’s lieutenant governor, is fighting to keep the seat he inherited. Meanwhile, Brown, who served as a Senator from 2007 to January 2025, is fighting to return to Congress after losing to Republican Bernie Moreno in 2024.

More poll respondents had an unfavorable opinion of Husted and Brown than a favorable one, with 50% of respondents having an unfavorable opinion of Brown to 40% favorable. Similarly, 44% of respondents had an unfavorable opinion of Husted to 35% favorable. All other respondents either were unsure or had not heard of the candidates.

Midterm elections are often a referendum on whatever party is in the White House, and 52% of respondents disapproved of President Donald Trump’s job performance. Most voters — 48% — said they dislike Trump personally and don’t support most of his policies. Another 11% said they dislike him personally but support most of his policies, and 37% said they support Trump and his policies.

Early voting is already underway. In the first days of early voting, Franklin County reported roughly three times the participation as during the 2022 midterm elections. Election day is Nov. 3.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5913395&forum_id=2#50193339)