Incumbent Jon Husted (R), Sherrod Brown (D), Bill Redpath (L), and Gregory Levy (I) are running in the special election for U.S. Senate in Ohio on Nov. 3. As of June 2026, Husted and Brown led in media attention, campaign fundraising, and endorsements.
On Jan. 17, 2025, Gov. Mike DeWine (R) appointed Husted to replace Vice President J.D. Vance (R). The winner of this election will serve the remaining two years of the term Vance was elected to in 2022.
According to the Cook Political Report's Jessica Taylor, "Brown functions more as the incumbent in this race, while the appointed Husted is a comparative newcomer. Even though Husted has won statewide in his own right as secretary of state, both of his wins were in the very favorable GOP years of 2010 and 2014, so this will be a very different midterm cycle for a candidate who still isn’t as well-known statewide as a typical incumbent. "
