(The Center Square) – Ohio Democrats have made significant gains in 2026 races for governor and U.S. Senate, according to a new poll released Thursday by Emerson College.
Gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton and U.S. Senate candidate Sherrod Brown, both Democrats, have climbed within the margin of error, with Acton actually leading Republican Vivek Ramaswamy, a former presidential candidate and ally of President Donald Trump.
The same poll also shows Trump’s disapproval rating climbing by 6 points since August, with nearly half of the active registered voters disapproving of the president.
The poll, conducted Dec. 6-8, conducted Dec. 6-8, showed Acton with a 46%-45% lead over Ramaswamy, with 9% undecided. That’s a 7-point swing for the former Ohio Department of Health director from August, and a 4-point drop for Ramaswamy.
Pollsters say women provide the change.
“The August Emerson College poll found women voters split between Ramaswamy and Acton, 44% to 42%, and men breaking for Ramaswamy 54% to 36%. Four months later, men still support Ramaswamy by about 20 points, 55% to 35%, but women have shifted toward Acton, breaking for her 56% to 37%,” Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling, said.
Respondents showed a 39.5% somewhat or very favorable opinion of Ramaswamy, while Acton stood at 35.2%.
However, 41.3% had a somewhat or very unfavorable opinion of Ramaswamy, while Acton’s unfavorables are at 32.7%.
In the Senate race, Republican Sen. Jon Husted gained a point from August, leading Brown 50%-44% with 5% undecided. Brown’s support dropped 2 points from August.
The poll showed 30.3% held a very or somewhat favorable opinion of Husted, while 43.2% held the same opinion of Brown.
Husted’s unfavorables are at 31.8%, and Brown’s are 41.3%.
The poll showed Trump’s job disapproval rating at 48%, with a 46% approval rating, a 3-point drop in approval and a 6-point jump in disapproval since August.
The poll showed Ohio Republican Gov. Mike DeWine with just a 26% job approval rating, with 45% disapproval.
The poll has a margin of error of +/-3.3 percentage points.
