U.S. Sen. Jon Husted (R-OH) at the Republican National Midterm Convention in Dallas, Texas, U.S., September 9, 2026. REUTERS/Jessica Koscielniak
Although former President Barack Obama won Ohio in both 2009 and 2012, the Buckeye State took an increasingly GOP turn after that — with Donald Trump carrying Ohio three presidential elections in a row. Moreover, former Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) was voted out of office in 2024. But according to Bloomberg News opinion columnist Erika D. Smith, Republicans are growing more worried about Ohio as the 2026 midterms draw closer.
"How badly are things going for Republicans in what, for more than a decade, has been the reliably red state of Ohio?" Smith writes in her Bloomberg column. "Just ask Jon Husted. The party's nominee for the U.S. Senate spent part of last week at the 'Trump-a-palooza' convention in Dallas, desperately trying to cast President Donald Trump's tax cuts for the wealthy as a fix for the affordability crisis. Then, Husted spent the weekend distancing himself from his now-former political director after it was revealed that he had promoted both Nazi imagery and songs tied to White supremacy online."
But Husted's problems, according to Smith, aren't the only reason why Ohio Republicans are feeling anxious about the midterms.
"Even before this," Smith observes, "Cook Political Report had rated the race between Husted, the incumbent, and Democrat Sherrod Brown as a 'toss-up.' Recent polls show a Brown victory looking increasingly likely, which could help flip control of Congress. Republicans should be worried about Ohio — and not just because of the Senate race. In a state that Trump won three times and where Republicans have long controlled almost every statewide office, in addition to having a supermajority in the state legislature, there's a widening enthusiasm gap ahead of the midterms. Democrats are far more eager to vote than Republicans, echoing the national anti-Trump mood."
Smith continues, "But in Ohio, problematic GOP candidates also dot the ballot, creating more headwinds for the party. In addition to Husted, there's Rep. Max Miller, for example. Allegations that he abused his daughter and ex-wife, Emily Moreno — the daughter of U.S. Sen. Bernie Moreno — continue to hang over the race against Democrat Brian Poindexter."
Ohio's gubernatorial race, according to Smith, is another reason Republicans are worried.
"Then there's the race to succeed Ohio's termed-out Republican Gov. Mike DeWine," the Bloomberg columnist observes. "Polling shows Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, a billionaire entrepreneur and Trump ally who was tapped to lead DOGE (the Department of Government Efficiency) with Elon Musk, is running neck-and-neck with his Democratic opponent, Amy Acton. This is saying something. The last time a Democrat was governor of Ohio, Barack Obama was serving his first term as president. Though not crucial to the balance of political power nationally, losing the governorship in a supposedly red state, which the sitting vice president and likely MAGA heir JD Vance calls home, would be a psychological blow for Republicans. Yet the race between Ramaswamy and Acton has essentially been stuck in a statistical tie for months. Cook Political Report has rated it a 'toss-up.'"
