Ohio Senate Race Shifts Towards Democrats

Cook Political Report: “Democrats have scored a major recruiting victory by convincing former Sen. Sherrod Brown to run again in Ohio just months after he lost reelection.”

“But while the political environment in 2026 may be much better for Brown than in a presidential year, he will be up against a potentially much tougher opponent in appointed Sen. Jon Husted, a former lieutenant governor and secretary of state who has already won statewide before.”

“Brown’s entrance certainly puts the Ohio Senate special election on the competitive map, and it’s doubtful that any other Democrat would have made this a real race. But Husted still starts as a slight favorite in a state that’s been moving toward the right. We are shifting our rating from Likely to Lean Republican.”