The Ohio Senate race between Sherrod Brown and Sen. Jon Husted is a statistical tie, a new poll shows.
The AARP voter survey, released Thursday, June 25, shows Brown, a Democrat former senator, with a narrow lead over his Republican opponent, 48% to 45% with a 3.5% margin of error. The poll finds 7% of voters are undecided. Earlier this month, Brown came out ahead in a Fox News poll, leading Husted 53% to 45%.
Brown was one of Ohio’s senators from 2007 to 2025, losing his reelection bid in 2024 to Republican Bernie Moreno. Husted was appointed a U.S. senator in January 2025, filling a vacancy left by Vice President JD Vance when President Donald Trump was elected.
Here’s a look at what the AARP poll showed.
AARP poll: Older men back Husted, younger voters and women favor Brown
According to the AARP survey, there is a large difference in the senate race based on age. Voters age 50 and older prefer Husted by 8 points, while voters under 50 back Brown by 22 points. The poll also cites a gender gap, with women putting Brown ahead but older men helping keep Husted close.
Brown also has a 26-point lead with Independents as well as a better consolidated party base than Husted, which the poll states has helped him overcome the GOP lean in Ohio.
Also, Brown’s image is viewed favorably among likely Ohio voters, by a 46% to 38% margin. The poll found Husted underwater, at 31% to 37%. Brown’s image is similar between voters over and under age 50. Husted’s image, however, is mixed among older voters and negative with younger ones.
How the AARP poll was conducted
AARP commissioned the bipartisan polling team of Fabrizio Ward (R) and Impact Research (D) to conduct the survey. The firms interviewed 800 likely voters, randomly drawn from the Ohio voter list, between June 14 and 16, 2026.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Brown, Husted in virtual tie in Ohio Senate race, new poll finds
Reporting by Chad Murphy, USA TODAY NETWORK / The Columbus Dispatch
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Chad Murphy, USA TODAY NETWORK | USA TODAY Network
