Former Democratic Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown is trailing Sen. Jon Husted (R-OH) in the polls after launching his 2026 comeback Senate campaign on Monday.
An Emerson College poll released on Friday showed Husted leads Brown 50% to 44%, indicating the former senator faces an uphill battle in reclaiming a spot in the upper chamber.
Brown turned his gaze this week to challenging Husted in a special 2026 election after losing an Ohio Senate seat he had held since 2007 to Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-OH) last November. Husted is running to complete a full term after being appointed to the seat formerly held by Vice President JD Vance, who resigned from the position last year to take on the vice presidency.
Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling, said the latest survey shows Brown faces challenges in his campaign against Husted, even though the former senator’s campaign announced on Tuesday that he raised $3.6 million after launching his bid the previous day.
“In the first public poll following Sherrod Brown’s 2026 campaign kick-off, the former Senator trails the incumbent Jon Husted by six points, though he has a higher name recognition than the first-term Senator,” said Kimball.
