A fresh Fox News survey released Thursday paints a split picture for Ohio Republicans, with gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy holding a narrow lead over his Democratic rival while incumbent Sen. Jon Husted finds himself trailing in his bid to hold onto his U.S. Senate seat.
According to the poll, Ramaswamy, who won Ohio’s Republican gubernatorial primary back in May, currently sits at 50 percent support compared to 48 percent for his opponent, Democrat Amy Acton. Husted, by contrast, trails former Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown by a more substantial margin: 45 percent to 53 percent, as reported by InterActive Polls.
The mixed results come as Ohio voters say economic concerns are dominating their thinking. The Fox News survey found that inflation is the top issue for 40 percent of registered voters in the state, far outpacing other concerns like healthcare, immigration, and political divisions, according to the network. That economic anxiety appears to be benefiting Brown in the Senate contest.
Primary Victory Speech
Ramaswamy’s path to the general election was decisive. He defeated primary opponent Casey Putsch with 82.2 percent of the vote, earning him a five-point lead over Acton in the current general election matchup, though the race remains competitive.
In his victory speech following the primary, Ramaswamy framed the upcoming campaign in expansive terms.
“I believe we have a historic opportunity to lead Ohio, not just to be the best state in the Midwest — because we are already the best in the Midwest. We have a historic opportunity to lead Ohio to be the top state in the country — to raise a young family, to give our kids a world-class education, and to be the state where we revive this quaint idea that we call the American dream,” Ramaswamy said.
Republicans have long viewed Ohio as favorable territory — Donald Trump carried the state by 11 points in 2024 — but Husted’s ties to the former president are proving to be a double-edged sword. The poll found that 51 percent of voters are concerned that Husted is too close to Trump, a five-point jump from the 46 percent who expressed that worry in June. By comparison, only 44 percent are concerned that Brown is too closely tied to the Democratic Party establishment.
That dynamic appears to be pulling Republicans across party lines. The poll indicates that defections from Republican voters are undercutting Husted’s built-in advantage in a state where registered Republicans outnumber Democrats.
Brown Under Fire from the Right
Husted’s campaign has not shied away from attacking Brown’s record. In May, his campaign criticized Brown over his long tenure in the Senate, pointing to issues such as “open borders, sky-high inflation, and boys playing in girls’ sports.” Breitbart News also reported that Brown supported Obamacare subsidies and has received $400,000 from health insurance lobbyists and corporate PACs throughout his career.
Further, a Breitbart News review of donor data in June found that Brown, who has “spent decades casting himself as a blue-collar populist,” has accepted at least $4,887,980 from donors tied to Wall Street, big banking institutions, investment firms, and billionaires over his political career.
Despite those attacks, the polling suggests that Husted has yet to overcome the headwinds created by voter concerns over his alignment with Trump. The survey’s findings highlight the challenges facing Ohio Republicans as they seek to balance national loyalty with local economic priorities.
The Fox News poll was released Thursday and shared by InterActive Polls. As the November election approaches, both races appear to be tightening, with Ramaswamy holding a razor-thin lead and Husted fighting to close a significant gap.
Source: www.breitbart.com — https://www.breitbart.com/midterm-election/2026/08/14/ohio-poll-gops-vivek-ramaswamy-ahead-his-democrat-opponent-but-sen-jon-husted-trailing-his/