Ohio voters are leaning Democratic in the latest statewide poll released by Bowling Green State University in partnership with YouGov. Former Sen. Sherrod Brown leads incumbent Sen. Jon Husted by six points (48% to 42%), and former public‑health director Amy Acton leads businessman Vivek Ramaswamy by the same margin (50% to 44%) in the governor’s race.
Poll Details and Voter Priorities
The survey, conducted in early October, also asked respondents which issues mattered most to their vote. The top concerns were the economy, inflation, health care, government corruption, and threats to democracy. A majority of Ohioans said they favor candidates who they feel understand ordinary people and working families.
Democratic candidates received more favorable impressions than their Republican opponents. Voters described Brown and Acton as champions of everyday Ohioans, while the Republican Party was more often characterized as serving wealthy special interests and wasting taxpayer money.
Trump’s Standing in Ohio
The poll shows President Donald Trump’s approval rating in Ohio has slipped to 39%, a drop from the 11‑point margin he enjoyed in the 2024 election. Despite the decline, the figure remains slightly above the national average.
Ohio voters expressed strong opposition to the war in Iran and to the president’s tariff policy, and many said their personal financial situation has not improved over the past year. These sentiments help explain the lower approval rating.
Demographic Highlights
Democrats’ leads are strongest among young voters, women, college‑educated residents, and non‑white voters across the state. Among those who supported Trump in 2024, roughly one‑tenth now say they would vote for Brown or Acton, while only 1% of 2024 Democratic voters say they would back the Republican candidates.
Early voting is already underway, with more than 450,000 ballots cast as of Oct. 19, according to the Ohio Secretary of State’s office.
Implications
If Acton wins, she would become the first Democratic governor of Ohio since 2006. A Brown victory would return Ohio’s Senate delegation to split party control and bolster Democrats’ national effort to regain the Senate majority. Conversely, victories for Husted and Ramaswamy would suggest Ohio voters remain skeptical of Democratic governance despite the president’s waning popularity in the Buckeye State.
Original reporting: WLWT Cincinnati — read the source article.
