Once a premier presidential swing state, Ohio morphed into a solidly red state in the last three national elections. But this year is a bit of a throwback, with the Senate contest between appointed Republican Sen. Jon Husted and former Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown re-establishing the battleground bona fides of the Buckeye State.
The race looms large in the fight for Senate control.
To claim a majority, Democrats will need to win at least two GOP-held seats from states that backed President Donald Trump by double-digit margins in 2024. Ohio, which Trump carried by 11 points over Kamala Harris, is at or near the top of their list. They view Husted, who was appointed to the seat by Gov. Mike DeWine upon JD Vance’s elevation to the vice presidency, as vulnerable and untested. And they regard Brown, who won three Senate races before his 4-point ’24 defeat, as well-positioned to capitalize on what appears to be a favorable political climate.
Republicans, meanwhile, are banking on the broad unpopularity of the Democratic Party to help them to stave off defections, hoping that swing voters who aren’t thrilled with Trump will prove even less enthusiastic about the alternative.
