Ohio's Midterm Comes Down to Four Races. Here Is the Strongest Case Each Side Is Making
Ohio has voted Republican in three straight presidential elections. Tomorrow, the two races at the top of its ballot are rated competitive, and October's public polls had the Democrat ahead in both. That alone makes this one of the most consequential midterms in the state in a generation.
On the latest Purple Political Breakdown, I walked through every race on the Ohio ballot. Here are the four that will shape the state's direction, with the strongest argument each side is making.
U.S. Senate: Sherrod Brown vs. Jon Husted
This is a special election for the final two years of JD Vance's term. Husted was appointed to the seat in January 2025. Brown served 18 years in Ohio's other Senate seat before losing it to Bernie Moreno in 2024.
Husted's strongest argument is that Ohio has already made this decision. Voters retired Brown two years ago, and Husted argues Brown's long Washington record is the problem, not the solution. Brown's strongest argument is that the cost-of-living frustration driving this election is exactly what he has campaigned on for decades, and that independents are with him: Marist had him up 15 points among independent likely voters.
The issue Husted hasn't put to rest is FirstEnergy. Text messages between former FirstEnergy executives described him as an ally in passing House Bill 6. He denies any knowledge of the bribery scheme and has never been charged. A Summit County jury deadlocked in March on the two executives' state case, and they've been re-indicted. Voters will weigh that however they weigh it, but it belongs on the record.
Governor: Dr. Amy Acton vs. Vivek Ramaswamy
The open governor's race has been the loudest in the state. Ramaswamy's strongest case is that he brings an outsider's business mindset to property taxes, energy costs, and economic growth, and that Acton has avoided scrutiny by declining to debate. Acton's strongest case is her experience running the state's health department in a crisis, plus a set of plans on data centers and costs that she argues put Ohio residents first.
On data centers, the two are closer than their ads suggest. Both now want new projects halted unless developers cover their own power costs and meet environmental standards. They differ on union labor requirements and on Ramaswamy's pledge of free electricity for nearby residents.
The race's defining moment was an October ad from Ramaswamy's campaign featuring Acton's estranged mother. Gov. Mike DeWine, who endorsed Ramaswamy, said it was wrong to run and asked him to take it down. President Trump told him to keep it running. That split inside the Republican coalition, over an ad about a candidate's childhood abuse, is the clearest picture of how unsettled this race became.
Ohio's 7th and 9th Congressional Districts
These are the two House seats most likely to flip. In OH-9, Rep. Marcy Kaptur won by 2,382 votes in 2024, and the new map is redder. In OH-7, a seat that was considered safely Republican became a toss-up after Rep. Max Miller's ex-wife and other women accused him of domestic abuse. He denies the allegations and has sued. His challenger, union ironworker Brian Poindexter, has drawn support across party lines.
The quiet races that matter just as much
Ohio will also elect a new Secretary of State, who runs elections and sits on the Redistricting Commission. It will choose an Attorney General, a Treasurer, an Auditor, and two Supreme Court justices. And it will decide Issue 3, which would put the existing photo ID requirement into the state constitution. These offices get a fraction of the attention and shape daily life in Ohio for years.
My job on Purple Political Breakdown is to make sure you hear each side's best case before you decide. Polls close at 7:30 p.m. tomorrow. If you still have an absentee ballot, take it to your county Board of Elections today. Ohio no longer counts ballots that arrive after Election Day.
Listen to the full race-by-race breakdown: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sherrod-brown-vs-jon-husted-amy-acton-vs-vivek-ramaswamy/id1626987640?i=1000799441169
Podcast Host
Navigating the vast amount of bouncing around the political spectrum my entire life I have finally figured something important out. It doesn't matter. I've been religious, been in the military, went to a liberal school and all in all none of the political biases matter. We shouldn't let toxic discourse cloud our judgement and find a solution through logic and conversation. In pursuit of this mission I created this podcast to focus on these important conversations.
