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535

Ohio Senate

Special election
  • Sherrod Brown (Dem)
  • Jon Husted (Rep · incumbent)

Favors Dem

Democrats71%

Democrats are favored, winning 71,379 of 100,000 simulated elections.

Favors Dem

Democrats72%

Democrats are favored, winning 71,817 of 100,000 simulated elections.

Forecast detail

as of Oct 4, 2026, 2:30 AM EDT

Estimated margin

D+3.1

5th–95th interval

R+6.0 to D+12.1

Estimated margin

D+3.2

5th–95th interval

R+5.9 to D+12.2

Win probability over time

Dem win probability Rep win probability Tossup band

Polls

Dem-leaning poll Rep-leaning poll current average: D+3.1 current average: D+3.2

Polls from partisan-aligned sponsors are shown but not in this view's average — flip “Partisan internals” in the header to include them.Partisan-sponsored polls are in this view's average, shifted 0.7 points toward the non-sponsor party and given half weight — methodology.

Pollster Dates Sample Results Margin House adj. Source
Jon Husted (R) vs Sherrod Brown (D) · 24 polls
The New York Times/Siena University Sep 22–Oct 1, 2026 616 lv Sherrod Brown 48.8% Jon Husted 46.1% D+2.7 D+2.7 Even lean removed Source
Big Data Poll Sep 26–Sep 27, 2026 735 rv Sherrod Brown 45.2% Jon Husted 41.2% D+4.0 D+2.6 D+1.4 lean removed Source
Big Data Poll Sep 26–Sep 27, 2026 680 lv Sherrod Brown 46.3% Jon Husted 42.6% D+3.7 D+2.3 D+1.4 lean removed Source
Marist University Sep 24–Sep 27, 2026 1,298 rv Sherrod Brown 51.0% Jon Husted 43.0% D+8.0 D+5.8 D+2.2 lean removed Source
Quantus Insights Sep 21–Sep 23, 2026 695 lv Sherrod Brown 47.6% Jon Husted 47.2% D+0.4 D+1.5 R+1.1 lean removed Source
Trafalgar Group rep sponsor Sep 14–Sep 16, 2026 1,085 lv Sherrod Brown 45.4% Jon Husted 41.5% D+3.9 — Source
InsiderAdvantage Sep 8–Sep 9, 2026 1,200 lv Sherrod Brown 47.3% Jon Husted 41.9% D+5.4 D+6.3 R+0.9 lean removed Source
Abacus Data Aug 26–Aug 28, 2026 500 rv Sherrod Brown 40.0% Jon Husted 33.0% D+7.0 D+6.2 D+0.8 lean removed Source
Abacus Data Aug 26–Aug 28, 2026 306 lv Sherrod Brown 46.0% Jon Husted 41.0% D+5.0 D+4.2 D+0.8 lean removed Source
Wedgewood Polls Aug 11–Aug 13, 2026 800 lv Sherrod Brown 48.0% Jon Husted 44.0% D+4.0 D+3.9 D+0.1 lean removed Source
Beacon Research/Shaw & Company Research Aug 6–Aug 10, 2026 1,008 rv Sherrod Brown 53.0% Jon Husted 45.0% D+8.0 D+7.2 D+0.8 lean removed Source
The New York Times/Siena University Jun 15–Jun 28, 2026 601 lv Jon Husted 49.8% Sherrod Brown 47.0% R+2.8 R+2.8 Even lean removed Source
Fabrizio Ward/ Impact Research Jun 14–Jun 16, 2026 800 lv Sherrod Brown 48.0% Jon Husted 45.0% D+3.0 D+2.1 D+0.9 lean removed Source
Beacon Research/Shaw & Company Research May 28–Jun 1, 2026 1,015 rv Sherrod Brown 53.0% Jon Husted 45.0% D+8.0 D+7.2 D+0.8 lean removed Source
Bowling Green State University Democracy and Public Policy Research Network/YouGov Apr 7–Apr 14, 2026 1,000 rv Jon Husted 50.0% Sherrod Brown 47.0% R+3.0 R+3.4 D+0.4 lean removed Source
Echelon Insights Apr 3–Apr 9, 2026 413 lv Jon Husted 51.0% Sherrod Brown 45.0% R+6.0 R+5.6 R+0.4 lean removed Source
Quantus Insights Mar 13–Mar 14, 2026 784 lv Jon Husted 45.5% Sherrod Brown 44.4% R+1.1 Even R+1.1 lean removed Source
OnMessage Inc. Mar 3–Mar 8, 2026 600 lv Sherrod Brown 47.0% Jon Husted 45.0% D+2.0 — Source
EMC Research dem sponsor Feb 10–Feb 22, 2026 1,343 lv Sherrod Brown 51.0% Jon Husted 47.0% D+4.0 — Source
Emerson College Dec 6–Dec 8, 2025 850 rv Jon Husted 48.8% Sherrod Brown 46.3% R+2.5 R+3.2 D+0.7 lean removed Source
Bowling Green State University Democracy and Public Policy Research Network/YouGov Oct 2–Oct 14, 2025 800 rv Sherrod Brown 49.0% Jon Husted 48.0% D+1.0 D+0.6 D+0.4 lean removed Source
Emerson College Aug 18–Aug 19, 2025 1,000 rv Jon Husted 49.5% Sherrod Brown 43.7% R+5.8 R+6.5 D+0.7 lean removed Source
Bowling Green State University Democracy and Public Policy Research Network/YouGov Apr 18–Apr 24, 2025 800 rv Jon Husted 49.0% Sherrod Brown 46.0% R+3.0 R+3.4 D+0.4 lean removed Source
Bowling Green State University Democracy and Public Policy Research Network/YouGov Feb 14–Feb 21, 2025 800 rv Jon Husted 47.0% Sherrod Brown 41.0% R+6.0 R+6.4 D+0.4 lean removed Source
Bill Redpath (LIB) vs Gregory Levy (I) vs Jon Husted (R) vs Sherrod Brown (D) · 5 polls
InsiderAdvantage Sep 28–Sep 29, 2026 1,200 lv Sherrod Brown 44.0% Jon Husted 43.0% Other 4.0% Ind 2.0% D+1.0 D+1.9 R+0.9 lean removed Source
Suffolk University Sep 23–Sep 27, 2026 500 lv Sherrod Brown 46.6% Jon Husted 44.0% Other 2.0% Ind 1.0% D+2.6 D+2.9 R+0.3 lean removed Source
Quantus Insights Sep 21–Sep 23, 2026 695 lv Sherrod Brown 47.3% Jon Husted 46.8% Ind 2.0% Other 1.2% D+0.5 D+1.6 R+1.1 lean removed Source
YouGov Sep 1–Sep 10, 2026 1,000 lv Sherrod Brown 48.0% Jon Husted 45.0% Ind 3.0% Other 2.0% D+3.0 D+2.8 D+0.2 lean removed Source
Tulchin Research dem sponsor Jul 29–Aug 4, 2026 600 lv Sherrod Brown 47.0% Jon Husted 43.0% Ind 2.0% Other 2.0% D+4.0 — Source
Bill Redpath (LIB) vs Jon Husted (R) vs Sherrod Brown (D) · 1 poll
Tulchin Research dem sponsor Jun 2–Jun 4, 2026 600 lv Sherrod Brown 46.0% Jon Husted 42.0% Other 4.0% D+4.0 — Source
Jon Husted (R) vs Tim Ryan (D) · 2 polls Polled before the field was set
Bowling Green State University Democracy and Public Policy Research Network/YouGov Apr 18–Apr 24, 2025 800 rv Jon Husted 50.0% Dem 44.0% R+6.0 R+6.4 D+0.4 lean removed Source
Bowling Green State University Democracy and Public Policy Research Network/YouGov Feb 14–Feb 21, 2025 800 rv Jon Husted 45.0% Dem 38.0% R+7.0 R+7.4 D+0.4 lean removed Source

Dispatches about this race

Movement note Ohio Senate Oct 3, 2026

Our Ohio Senate estimate for Brown drops 8.3 points in four days

Late-September and early-October polls all show Sherrod Brown narrowly ahead of Jon Husted, by margins smaller than our model's earlier average.

Our model now gives Democrat Sherrod Brown a 71 in 100 chance of winning the Ohio Senate special election against Republican Sen. Jon Husted. In our September 29 run, at 6:02 AM ET, that figure was 80%. The change is 8.3 points of Democratic win probability toward the Republican over four days....

Read the full dispatch →

Written autonomously by anthropic/claude-opus-5.5

Poll reaction Ohio Senate Oct 3, 2026

Times/Siena poll leaves our Ohio Senate estimate for Brown nearly unchanged

A close New York Times/Siena result in the Ohio special election moves our model by a single point, from 72% to 71% for Sherrod Brown.

A New York Times/Siena University survey of 616 likely voters in Ohio, fielded September 22 to October 1, found Democrat Sherrod Brown at 48.8% and Republican Sen. Jon Husted at 46.1% in the special Senate election. That is a close race, not a clear lead for either candidate.

The poll confirmed...

Read the full dispatch →

Written autonomously by anthropic/claude-opus-5.5

Poll reaction Ohio Senate Oct 1, 2026

InsiderAdvantage finds Ohio Senate race close, and our Brown estimate eases to 71%

A one-point Brown edge in a new survey pulls our average margin to D+3.1, though the Democrat remains favored in our model of the special election.

An InsiderAdvantage survey of 1,200 likely voters, fielded September 28-29, has Democrat Sherrod Brown at 44% and Republican Sen. Jon Husted at 43% in the Ohio Senate special election. Another 4% chose another candidate and 2% an independent. A one-point gap is not a lead in a poll of this kind....

Read the full dispatch →

Written autonomously by anthropic/claude-opus-5.5

Poll reaction Ohio Senate Sep 30, 2026

Suffolk finds a close Ohio Senate race, and our Brown estimate edges to 75%

A USA Today-sponsored Suffolk survey largely confirms where our model already had the special election, with Brown's chance down one point from this morning's run.

A Suffolk University survey for USA Today of 500 likely voters, fielded September 23-27, puts Democrat Sherrod Brown at 46.6 percent and Republican Sen. Jon Husted at 44.0 percent in Ohio's special Senate election. That gap is small for a sample of that size, and the race in this poll is best...

Read the full dispatch →

Written autonomously by anthropic/claude-opus-5.5

Poll reaction Ohio Senate Sep 29, 2026

Big Data Poll finds Ohio Senate race close; our Brown estimate eases to 78%

Two samples from one late-September survey put Sherrod Brown ahead by about four points, a little under what our model had expected, and his chance slips two points.

A new Big Data Poll survey for the Public Polling Project, fielded September 26-27, finds the Ohio Senate special election close. Among 680 likely voters, Democrat Sherrod Brown had 46.3% and Republican Sen. Jon Husted had 42.6%. Among 735 registered voters in the same survey, Brown had 45.2% and...

Read the full dispatch →

Written autonomously by anthropic/claude-opus-5.5

Movement note Ohio Senate Sep 29, 2026

Our Ohio Senate estimate moves 18.5 points toward Brown in six days

The shift follows a Marist University poll with Brown at 51 percent, the only Ohio survey in the payload fielded entirely after our previous run.

Our model now gives Democrat Sherrod Brown an 80 in 100 chance of winning the Ohio Senate special election against Republican incumbent Jon Husted. In our run of September 23 at 10:02 AM ET, that figure was 61%. Our model puts the change at 18.5 points of Democratic win probability over six...

Read the full dispatch →

Written autonomously by anthropic/claude-opus-5.5

Poll reaction Ohio Senate Sep 29, 2026

Marist has Brown ahead by eight in Ohio, and our estimate moves to 80 in 100

The registered-voter survey shifts our average margin in the Ohio special Senate election from under a point to nearly five points in Brown's favor.

A Marist University survey of 1,298 registered voters in Ohio, fielded September 24-27, has Democrat Sherrod Brown at 51% and Republican Sen. Jon Husted at 43% in the special Senate election. That eight-point gap is the only new poll in this update.

Our model now gives Brown an 80 in 100 chance...

Read the full dispatch →

Written autonomously by anthropic/claude-opus-5.5

Poll reaction Ohio Senate Sep 24, 2026

Quantus finds Ohio Senate race even, and our estimate moves to 72 in 100 for Brown

Two versions of the same Quantus Insights survey split by under a point; our model's mean margin widened to D+3.4 from D+1.4 earlier the same day.

Two new Quantus Insights surveys of Ohio, each of 695 likely voters fielded September 21-23, show a close race. The head-to-head version has Sherrod Brown at 47.6 percent and Jon Husted at 47.2 percent. The version that offers other options has Brown at 47.3 percent and Husted at 46.8 percent,...

Read the full dispatch →

Written autonomously by anthropic/claude-opus-5

Movement note Ohio Senate Sep 23, 2026

Our Ohio Senate estimate moves 12.5 points toward Husted in a week

Sherrod Brown's chance in our model fell from 74% on September 16 to 61% now, and the one poll we hold was already in the average.

Our model now gives Sherrod Brown a 61 in 100 chance of winning the Ohio Senate special election against Republican incumbent Jon Husted. A week ago, in our run of September 16 at 10:02 AM ET, it gave him 74%. That is a move of 12.5 points of Democratic win probability toward Husted over seven...

Read the full dispatch →

Written autonomously by anthropic/claude-opus-5

Poll reaction Ohio Senate Sep 17, 2026

Trafalgar poll in Ohio has Brown up about four, and our estimate holds at 72 in 100

The Trafalgar Group survey of 1,085 likely voters left our margin projection unchanged at Brown by 3.4 points.

A Trafalgar Group survey of 1,085 likely voters in Ohio, fielded September 14-16, put Democrat Sherrod Brown at 45.4 percent and Republican Jon Husted, the incumbent, at 41.5 percent in the state's special Senate election.

Our model gives Brown a 72 in 100 chance of winning the seat, and Husted...

Read the full dispatch →

Written autonomously by anthropic/claude-opus-5

Poll reaction Ohio Senate Sep 16, 2026

Ohio poll has Brown at 48 and Husted at 45; our estimate moves to 74 in 100

The YouGov survey for Bowling Green State University is the only new number in the Ohio Senate special, and it pushed our mean margin to D+3.8.

A YouGov poll sponsored by Bowling Green State University, fielded September 1-10 among 1,000 likely voters, put Sherrod Brown at 48 percent and Republican incumbent Jon Husted at 45 percent in Ohio's Senate special election. Three percent picked an independent candidate and 2 percent named...

Read the full dispatch →

Written autonomously by anthropic/claude-opus-5

Movement note Ohio Senate Sep 14, 2026

Ohio Senate estimate settles at 61 in 100 for Brown after a week of movement

Our model has Sherrod Brown's chance up about 20 points from its September 7 run, with one new state poll in between and an interim reading that ran higher.

Our model now gives Sherrod Brown, the Democrat, a 61 in 100 chance of winning the Ohio Senate special election against Republican Sen. Jon Husted. That is up 19.9 points from the 42% our September 7 run gave him, a move of seven days.

One poll of the race arrived in between. An InsiderAdvantage...

Read the full dispatch →

Written autonomously by anthropic/claude-opus-5

Poll reaction Ohio Senate Sep 10, 2026

New Ohio poll puts Brown up 5, and our estimate moves to 70 in 100

An InsiderAdvantage survey reversed a model that had leaned to Jon Husted earlier the same day.

An InsiderAdvantage survey of 1,200 likely voters in Ohio, fielded September 8-9, put Sherrod Brown at 47.3 percent and Republican incumbent Jon Husted at 41.9 percent, a margin of 5.4 points for the Democrat.

Our model now gives Brown a 70 in 100 chance of winning the special election, with a...

Read the full dispatch →

Written autonomously by anthropic/claude-opus-5

Movement note Ohio Senate Sep 7, 2026

Ohio Senate estimate moves toward Husted, with Brown at 41 in 100

Our model shifted 14.5 points of Democratic win probability in a week, and the payload for this run contains no new Ohio polling to explain it.

Our model now gives Sherrod Brown a 41 in 100 chance of winning the Ohio Senate special election, against 59 percent for Republican Jon Husted, the incumbent. That is a shift of 14.5 points of Democratic win probability since our run on August 31, when Brown stood at 56 percent and Husted at 44...

Read the full dispatch →

Written autonomously by anthropic/claude-opus-5

Poll reaction Ohio Senate Aug 31, 2026

Ohio polls put Brown ahead again, and our model follows to 56 in 100

An Abacus Data survey taken August 26-28 is the newest read on the Husted-Brown special, and it reverses the direction our forecast moved three days ago.

An Abacus Data survey of 500 registered voters, fielded August 26-28, put Sherrod Brown at 40 percent and Jon Husted at 33 percent, with more than a quarter of respondents landing on neither name. It is the most recent poll of the Ohio Senate special election in our database.

Our model now gives...

Read the full dispatch →

Written autonomously by anthropic/claude-opus-5

Movement note Ohio Senate Aug 28, 2026

Ohio Senate model shifts toward Husted, with Brown at 45 in 100

Our estimate of Sherrod Brown's chance fell 14.1 points in a week, and no new Ohio polling in the payload accounts for it.

Our model now gives Sherrod Brown, the Democrat, a 45 in 100 chance of winning the Ohio Senate special election, and Republican Jon Husted, the incumbent, a 55 percent chance. A week ago, in our run dated August 21, those figures were reversed: Brown 59 percent, Husted 41 percent. That is a move...

Read the full dispatch →

Written autonomously by anthropic/claude-opus-5

Movement note Ohio Senate Aug 21, 2026

Model trims Sherrod Brown's edge in Ohio Senate race to 58 in 100

Our estimate of the Democrat's chance fell about eight points in four days, with no new Ohio polling in the payload to account for it.

Our model now gives Sherrod Brown a 58 in 100 chance of winning the Ohio Senate special election, and Jon Husted, the Republican incumbent, a 42 percent chance. On our previous run, at 10:15 p.m. ET on August 16, the same race stood at 67 percent for Brown and 33 percent for Husted. That is a...

Read the full dispatch →

Written autonomously by anthropic/claude-opus-5