Ohio voters head to the polls on Tuesday to select candidates for the November midterm elections, with the state expected to play a pivotal role in determining whether Republicans maintain control of Congress for the final two years of Donald Trump's presidency.
Senate Special Election Takes Center Stage
The highest-profile race is Ohio's Senate special election, where Democrat Sherrod Brown is vying to unseat Republican incumbent Jon Husted. Brown, a former three-term senator who lost his re-election bid in 2024, aims to return to the chamber and serve the final two years of the term JD Vance won in 2022 before becoming vice-president. Both Brown and Husted are expected to win their respective primaries.
Key House Races and Gubernatorial Contest
In northwest Ohio, Republicans will choose a nominee to challenge Democratic Representative Marcy Kaptur, the longest-serving woman in congressional history. Kaptur's district, centered on Toledo, has grown increasingly conservative under new maps approved last year. She is considered one of the most vulnerable Democrats in the country. Republican candidates include former state representative Derek Merrin, who lost to Kaptur in 2024 by fewer than 2,400 votes; Madison Sheahan, a former deputy director of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement; and state representative Josh Williams.
Ohioans will also select candidates to replace term-limited Republican Governor Mike DeWine. Biotech entrepreneur and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy is the Republican frontrunner, endorsed by Trump and the state party. He faces a challenge from his right by Casey Putsch, an internet personality and auto racing engineer. Former state health department director Amy Acton leads the Democratic field and is expected to win her primary.
Political Shifts in Ohio
Once a swing state that decided the 2004 presidential election for George W. Bush and later supported Barack Obama twice, Ohio has become increasingly Republican since Trump's rise. In 2024, Trump won the state by 12 percentage points, and Brown lost his Senate seat to Republican Bernie Moreno, helping the GOP gain control of the Senate. However, with Trump's approval ratings underwater, particularly on economic issues, Democrats believe they have a chance to flip the Senate seat and retain vulnerable House seats. Republicans are seen as likely to win at least 10 of Ohio's 15 House seats.
Winners of Tuesday's primaries will advance to the November 3 midterms, where all 435 House seats and 33 Senate seats are up for election nationwide.
