Another year, another U.S. Senate race in Ohio.
Sen. Jon Husted must defend his seat in 2026 against his presumptive opponent, former Sen. Sherrod Brown. Brown, who many view as the standard bearer of Ohio’s Democratic Party, is seeking a political comeback after he lost to Sen. Bernie Moreno in 2024.
Ohio was not supposed to have a Senate race on the ballot, but that changed when JD Vance vacated his seat to become vice president.
Gov. Mike DeWine appointed Husted, his former lieutenant governor, to replace Vance in early 2025. Next year’s winner will be up for reelection in 2028, when Vance’s term would have ended.
Here’s what you need to know about the candidates.
Jon Husted
Husted was DeWine’s lieutenant governor for six years. Prior to that, he served as secretary of state, speaker of the Ohio House and state senator.
The child of adoptive parents, Husted has advocated for policies to improve the adoption system. He used his platform as lieutenant governor to streamline government code and push for parental consent for social media platforms.
Since joining the Senate, Husted introduced bills to crack down on deep fakes, encourage AI literacy in schools and train Department of Labor employees on the signs of human trafficking. He also supported the reconciliation package that cuts Medicaid, funnels money to rural hospitals and requires states to pay more for food assistance.
Amid confusion over new guidance for COVID-19 vaccines, Husted said the government shouldn’t “force people to take vaccines that they don’t want.”
Sherrod Brown
Brown’s decades-long tenure in public office included stints as an Ohio House representative, secretary of state and congressman. He was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2006, ousting then-Sen. DeWine.
Brown has anchored his political career around working-class Americans and the unions that represent them. He championed legislation to restore pension benefits for Ohio workers, cap the cost of insulin and expand health care for veterans exposed to toxic burn pits. He also opposed the North American Free Trade Agreement and other trade deals he thought would hurt workers.
Before leaving office in 2024, Brown helped increase Social Security benefits for pension earners.
The former senator moved to the Columbus area after his election loss and formed the Dignity of Work Institute. He mulled a 2026 run for governor but believes he can make the biggest impact in the Senate.
Fred Ode
Ode, a wealthy software developer, launched a longshot bid for the Democratic nomination. He founded the Education Revolution Association, which aims to reform high school curriculum and ensure students are “prepared for the test of life,” according to the its website.
Ode supports universal health care and higher taxes for wealthy earners. He’s also been critical of U.S. support for Israel’s war in Gaza.
“I never engaged in politics until I looked around, and I didn’t see anyone stepping up to stop the corrupt elites,” Ode said in his launch video.
Chris Volpe
Volpe announced his candidacy for the Democratic nomination in June 2025. The Columbus resident is the founder of Multivarious Games and teaches at multiple Ohio universities, according to his LinkedIn page.
Since launching his campaign, Volpe has posted videos to social media critical of President Donald Trump’s immigration policy, National Guard deployments and firing of the commissioner of Labor Statistics.
Volpe pledged to run his campaign without corporate donations and bring accountability to leaders in Washington.
Lynnea Lau
Lau is another lesser-known Democrat in Ohio’s U.S. Senate race. She graduated from the University of Toledo and served in the U.S. Air Force before earning masters degrees in public health and business administration, according to her website.
Her policy priorities include lowering drug costs, supporting scientific research and providing pathways to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.
“This campaign is about restoring fairness, strengthening the middle class, and building a future where prosperity is shared − not hoarded,” Lau’s website states.
(This story was updated to include information about additional candidates.)
State government reporter Haley BeMiller can be reached at hbemiller@gannett.com or @haleybemiller on X.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Who is running for Ohio Senate seat in 2026?
Reporting by Haley BeMiller, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
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