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Nov 3, 2026 · special election

Ohio — U.S. Senate

⭐ One of the eight competitive races expected to decide control of the Senate. Get caught up ↓

Sherrod Brown
Sherrod Brown
Democrat · Age 73

Ohio's senator for 18 years until his 2024 defeat. Now trying to win back a seat for the "dignity of work."

Campaign website →
Jon Husted
Jon Husted
Republican · Age 59

Former lieutenant governor, appointed in 2025 to the seat JD Vance vacated. Running to keep it.

Campaign website →
Who's ahead? CookTOSS-UPSabatoTOSS-UPDDHQTOSS-UP
Ratings: Cook Political Report (Oct 6), Sabato’s Crystal Ball (Aug 26), Decision Desk HQ (Aug 5). Source →
Brown
46
Husted
45
Quantus Insights, likely voters, ±4.2, released Sept 24. Bowling Green State / YouGov had Brown up 48–45 → Released Sept 24

Where they stand

Tap a topic that's important to you.

BROWN SAYS
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HUSTED SAYS
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Money & campaign finance

Where each candidate stands on campaign-finance questions.

BROWN
HUSTED
Yes Ban Congress from trading stocks No
Not stated Takes corporate PAC money Yes

Corporate PAC sources: Husted: Chevron and ExxonMobil PACs (FEC records via TiffinOhio)

Fundraising
RAISEDCASH ON HANDUNDER-$200 DONORS
Sherrod Brown
$38.6M$16.2M35% of receipts
Jon Husted
$14.4M$9.4M13% of receipts

Campaign committee totals for the 2025–26 cycle, through June 30, 2026. Under-$200 share is unitemized individual contributions divided by total receipts. FEC filings →

Their big promises

BROWN'S TOP 3
The dignity of work
Raise wages, defend union jobs, and punish companies that ship Ohio work overseas.
Lower health care costs
Extend insurance subsidies, cap drug prices, and protect Social Security and Medicare.
Take on corporate power
Rail safety after East Palestine, ban congressional stock trading, crack down on price gouging.
HUSTED'S TOP 3
Jobs & the innovation economy
Bring chip plants, data centers, and tech jobs to Ohio — his signature as lieutenant governor.
Cut taxes & red tape
Lower taxes on families and small businesses; fewer federal regulations.
Secure the border
Back the administration's immigration enforcement and finish the border wall.

Agree or differ?

Tariffs to protect Ohio steel & manufacturing
Brown has backed trade protections for decades · Husted supports the administration's tariffs
AGREE
Rail safety rules after East Palestine
Brown co-wrote the Railway Safety Act · Husted says he supports tougher rail rules for Ohio
AGREE
Extend ACA health-insurance subsidies
Brown: yes, blames Husted for premium spikes · Husted: voted with his party against the extension
DIFFER
Abortion
Brown: supports abortion rights and Ohio's 2023 Issue 1 · Husted: opposed Issue 1, anti-abortion record
DIFFER
Ban congressional stock trading
Brown: co-sponsored a ban · Husted: hasn't backed one
DIFFER
No cuts to Social Security or Medicare
Both say the programs are off the table — they differ on who threatens them
AGREE

Their stories

SHERROD BROWN
1952Born in Mansfield, Ohio; elected to the Ohio House at 22.
2007Began 18 years in the U.S. Senate — three terms as a pro-labor populist.
2024Lost to Bernie Moreno by 3.5 points as Trump carried Ohio by 11.
2026Won the Democratic primary with 89% for a comeback in the seat Vance left.
JON HUSTED
1967Adopted as an infant; raised in Montpelier, northwest Ohio.
2000sSpeaker of the Ohio House, then two terms as secretary of state.
2019Lieutenant governor under Mike DeWine; led the state's tech-jobs push.
2025Appointed to the Senate when JD Vance became vice president.

The backstory

When JD Vance became vice president, Ohio’s Republican governor appointed Lt. Gov. Jon Husted to his Senate seat. This special election decides who serves the last two years of the term.

Democrats then landed their biggest name. Sherrod Brown held Ohio’s other Senate seat for three terms before losing in 2024, the year Trump won more votes in Ohio than any presidential candidate ever. Brown says he could “no longer sit on the sidelines” and is counting on union and working-class voters to come back to him.

Husted’s pitch is “I’m an Ohio guy, not a D.C. guy.” He argues Brown is the real incumbent after three decades in Washington. Brown has gone after Husted over data centers and the FirstEnergy utility scandal. Crypto industry groups, which helped beat Brown in 2024, have pledged $30 million against him again.

Brown has led most fall polls, and national Republicans are pouring extra money into Ohio for the final weeks, which tells you they see the seat as at risk. Election Day is November 3.

Sources

  1. Sherrod Brown · campaign website
  2. Jon Husted · campaign website
  3. 2026 United States Senate special election in Ohio · Wikipedia (ratings, history)
  4. Appointed senator and former senator face off in Ohio · Ballotpedia News, June 8, 2026
  5. Ohio Senate primary results · NBC News
  6. Ohio Senate: Brown has 3-point lead · Rasmussen Reports, Sept 25, 2026
  7. Key U.S. Senate race could hinge on Ohio’s working-class voters · NPR, Oct 2, 2026
  8. Former Sen. Sherrod Brown back on the ballot · Statehouse News Bureau, Dec 30, 2025
  9. Ohio Senate 2026 race summary · Cook Political Report
  10. Tight race forces GOP to surge in resources · Statehouse News Bureau, Oct 9, 2026
  11. Federal Election Commission · candidate fundraising summaries
Positions summarized from campaign websites, voting records, and news reports (July 2026) · race data updated September 2026
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