Ohio Senate Race Between Husted and Brown Could Be Decided by Third-Party Voters

The race for a U.S. Senate seat in Ohio is one of the closest in the country this year. Republican Jon Husted and Democrat Sherrod Brown are running against each other, and polls show them nearly tied. With Election Day on November 3, even a small number of votes for other candidates could decide who wins. Two lesser-known candidates are also on the ballot, and experts warn they could pull just enough votes to change the result.

Ohio is one of several states where the balance of power in Congress is up for grabs. Democrats need to flip four Republican Senate seats to take control of the Senate, and three House seats to win the House. Republicans are trying to hold on to their majorities in both chambers. Ohio is seen as one of the best chances Democrats have to pick up a Republican-held seat.

Ohio has leaned Republican in recent elections. President Donald Trump won the state in all three of his presidential runs, including by 11 percentage points in 2024. However, Trump's approval rating has been slipping, and Democrats believe this gives them a better shot at winning the seat. Still, flipping Ohio is not guaranteed, and the race remains extremely close.

Two lesser-known candidates are on the Ohio Senate ballot alongside Husted and Brown. William B. Redpath is running as a Libertarian, and Gregory Levy is running as an independent tied to the Party for Socialism and Liberation. Political experts say these two candidates could pull votes away from the major-party candidates. Libertarian candidates tend to draw votes from Republicans, while socialist-leaning candidates tend to draw votes from Democrats.

A new political group called Buckeye Freedom PAC is spending money to help Redpath gain more support. The group is running ads that criticize Husted and encourage people to vote for Redpath, calling him 'the real conservative.' One ad says, 'Both parties suck, vote for the real conservative.' Political experts say this is a clear attempt to hurt Husted's chances by pulling Republican-leaning voters toward Redpath.

University of Akron professor David Cohen told Newsweek that both third-party efforts are designed to weaken one side or the other. 'This is an attempt to boost the libertarian candidate, William Redpath, which is a pretty transparent effort to hurt Jon Husted, the Republican candidate,' Cohen said. He also noted that a different super PAC is trying to boost Levy's support, which is meant to pull votes away from Brown. Both moves are part of a broader strategy to influence the outcome without directly supporting the major candidates.

Bowling Green State University professor Robert Alexander said Husted may be at greater risk of losing votes than Brown. He noted that enthusiasm among Democrats in Ohio is currently higher than among Republicans. 'I don't see too many Democrats voting third party, but we are seeing a bit more leakage in Republican support,' Alexander said. He added that independent voters, who have tended to back Republicans in Ohio, may be more open to voting third party this year.

Recent polls all show a very tight race between Husted and Brown. A Suffolk University poll of 500 likely voters gave Brown a 3-point lead, 47 percent to 44 percent. An Echelon Insights poll showed both candidates tied at 47 percent. An InsiderAdvantage poll of 1,200 likely voters also gave Brown a 3-point lead, with small but notable shares going to the third-party candidates.

With five days left before the election, both candidates are making their final push to win over undecided voters. Husted campaigned in Chillicothe with Trump, touting job growth and trade protections. Former President Barack Obama visited Ohio last weekend to campaign for Brown. Both sides are hoping their closing arguments will be enough to seal the deal.

Brown has been criticizing Husted over his votes on U.S. involvement in the Iran war. He has also focused on lowering the cost of prescription drugs for Ohioans. 'Ohioans shouldn't have to pay more for prescription drugs made in America than folks do overseas,' Brown posted on X. He promised to fight for lower drug prices if elected to the Senate.