Fox News Poll: Sherrod Brown Leads Jon Husted 52% to 47% in Ohio, While Ramaswamy Trails Acton by Two for Governor
A Fox News survey of likely Ohio voters finds Brown ahead on favorability and a wide gender gap, with voters pessimistic about their finances and Trump's approval at 43% in a state he won with 55%. The governor's race is within the margin of error.
A new Fox News poll gives Democrat Sherrod Brown the edge over appointed Republican Sen. Jon Husted in Ohio. Likely voters back Brown 52% to 47%. Fox says the lead rests on personal favorability, a large gender gap, and voter unhappiness with household finances and with President Trump.
The Senate race. Fox says Brown's lead rests on personal ratings. Brown is 2 points above water (50% favorable, 48% unfavorable). Husted is 13 points underwater (42% favorable, 55% unfavorable). Brown backers are somewhat more certain of their vote than Husted backers (88% to 83%). Husted holds 90% of Republicans, but 9% cross over to Brown. Brown takes 97% of Democrats and carries independents by nearly two to one. Voters who dislike both men prefer Husted by nearly 20 points.
The gender gap. Women favor Brown by 14 points. Men favor Husted by 4. That is an 18-point split. Husted relies on rural voters, non-college white men and married voters, and has a narrow edge among those 65 and older. Brown leads among voters under 35, college graduates, union households and urban and suburban areas.
Pocketbook and Trump. About 2.5 times as many Ohioans say their finances are worse than two years ago as say they are better (46% to 19%). Those who say worse favor Brown by 49 points. Trump took Ohio with 55% in 2024, but 43% approve of his job now and 57% disapprove, including 46% who strongly disapprove. Fox reports 52% are concerned Husted is too close to Trump, 38% of them extremely. For Brown, 50% worry he is too liberal, 30% extremely.
Early vote and control. Brown leads by 9 among those extremely interested in the election and by 29 among the 15% who say they have already voted. On party control of the U.S. Senate, Ohioans split 50% Democratic to 48% Republican.
The governor's race. Democrat Amy Acton leads Republican Vivek Ramaswamy 50% to 48%, inside the margin of error. Women favor Acton by 10 and men back Ramaswamy by 7. Some 8% of Brown voters pick Ramaswamy and 6% of Husted voters pick Acton. Fox says the survey ended before Ramaswamy's campaign released a negative ad featuring Acton's estranged mother.
How it was done. Fox says the poll ran October 15 to 19 under Beacon Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R). It interviewed 2,005 registered voters by phone and text-to-web. The likely voter subsample is 1,592, with a margin of error of plus or minus 2 points. Subgroup errors are larger.