Republicans hemorrhaging support in key red state as Trump anchor sinks them

New Fox News polling is showing a top red state may be lost to Republicans.

Former Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) is eight points above the appointed incumbent Republican senator, Jon Husted. This is a new bent for a state that has remained reliably Republican, with voters there overwhelmingly choosing President Donald Trump in 2024 by about 11 points.

Andrew Desiderio from Punchbowl News said on Thursday that he spoke to Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), who was initially fearful that the year would be a disaster for Democrats because of the seats up for election. Now he believes Democrats can win the majority.

"And I was like, okay, yeah, okay, buddy, we'll see," said Desiderio. "We'll see about that. And now, a year later, we are a few months out from the election, and Trump's poll numbers have plummeted. Ohio is seemingly in play."

Trump's approval in Ohio has dropped ten points from Nov 2024 to June 2026.

Overcoming that 11-point advantage Trump had in 2024 was "unthinkable" last year. Voters, Desiderio said, don't merely blame Trump for all their problems; they also believe that Republicans should be fighting for their best interests, particularly on affordability issues.

Jamie Gangel, CNN special correspondent, agreed, it's clear Trump has been a huge benefit to Democrats, but the popularity of Brown can't be overstated.

"He has repeatedly done in Ohio what other Democrats haven't been able to do. I spoke to a Democratic leader this morning, though, who was very happy to talk about Ohio, but did not want to talk about Maine, where they really see a disaster," she noted.

Husted was appointed by Republican Gov. Mike DeWine after JD Vance won the vice presidency on Trump's ticket. In the two years he's been in office, Husted hasn't established himself to the degree that Brown has in public office for nearly 50 years during his combined terms in the U.S. House and Senate.

Voters consistently indicate that economic issues are top of mind, with the affordability crisis at the forefront. The second issue is the Iran War, which has driven up gas prices in Ohio from $3.06 last year to $4.18 on Thursday, the AAA gas prices site says.

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