Upset Brief · Ohio U.S. Senate · Jon Husted (R) vs. Sherrod Brown (D)
Husted can win. The math closes using 49 percent of what history allows.
17%
odds today
52%
odds with the plan
198,484
net votes to find
37
days left; voting starts October 6
Where
- 01+25,446Cuyahoga CountyStarting line Brown +46. 36,895 persuadable voters leaning Brown; 171,459 more ballots in 2024 than in 2022.
- 02+15,523Franklin CountyStarting line Brown +44. 35,029 persuadable voters leaning Brown; 179,357 more ballots in 2024 than in 2022.
- 03+13,918Lucas CountyStarting line Brown +27. 14,290 persuadable voters leaning Brown; 59,048 more ballots in 2024 than in 2022.
- 04+9,765Hamilton CountyStarting line Brown +28. 24,530 persuadable voters leaning Brown; 108,981 more ballots in 2024 than in 2022.
- 05+9,602Montgomery CountyStarting line Brown +14. 16,137 persuadable voters leaning Brown; 69,475 more ballots in 2024 than in 2022.
- 06+9,510Summit CountyStarting line Brown +23. 17,366 persuadable voters leaning Brown; 74,087 more ballots in 2024 than in 2022.
The top 12 counties carry 60% of the plan.
How
- P+172,567PersuadeTicket splitters and the 7 percent still undecided in the latest poll: 348,683 leaning Brown today.
- M+31,749MobilizeAt least 611,381 people who voted in 2024 but not in 2022, in counties where Husted's side wins at least 55 percent.
- C+4,093ConsolidateVoters who went third party in recent races, in the counties that lean Husted's way.
What has to be true
- Husted wins 25 percent of the ticket splitters and undecided voters now leaning Brown.
- In the precincts Husted's side carries in Hamilton County and Stark County, 17 percent of the people who voted in 2024 but skipped 2022 come back and vote.
- No national wave is required. The plan closes at 49 percent of what recent Ohio results show is possible.
- The starting line comes from published 2026 polls, including campaign or party sponsored polls where those are the only ones; if the true gap is different, so is the plan.
The numbers behind it
- 01Crossover regression8,933 precincts, R² 0.993, 1,614 crossover precincts identified
- 02Monte Carlo20,000 seeded simulated elections with a 5-point baseline error. 90% range of the final margin with the plan: -346,224 to 371,799 votes.
- 03Money, FEC candidate totals through June 30Husted $9,419,311 cash on hand; Brown $16,229,741.
- 04Call program for this list386,240 households, 1,158,721 dials, about 60,717 live conversations: an estimated $106,177 at published rates.
Independent analysis by The Political Group from official Ohio Secretary of State precinct returns (2022 and 2024), FEC filings and published polls, as of September 26, 2026. Not affiliated with any candidate or party.