COLUMBUS — A trio of new polls released this week shows Democrats with leads in Ohio’s marquee races one month before the Nov. 3 election, with Dr. Amy Acton ahead of Vivek Ramaswamy for governor and former Sen. Sherrod Brown ahead of Sen. Jon Husted in the U.S. Senate race.
An NPR/PBS News/Marist Poll of 1,298 registered voters conducted Sept. 24-27 found Acton leading Ramaswamy 50% to 44%, and Brown leading Husted 51% to 43%. A Suffolk University/USA TODAY Ohio Network poll of 500 likely voters conducted Sept. 23-27 gave Acton an even wider edge, 50.4% to 41.4%, with Libertarian Don Kissick at 2.8%. A Big Data Poll of likely voters also showed Brown ahead of Husted, 45.5% to 41.6%.
The results mark a shift from earlier surveys. A Bowling Green State University/YouGov poll conducted Sept. 1-10 found Acton ahead 48% to 45% — within the margin of error — while a Fox News poll in August had Ramaswamy leading 50% to 48%. In the new Suffolk survey, President Donald Trump’s approval rating in Ohio stood at just 35% among likely voters.
Voters will also choose a new governor to succeed term-limited Gov. Mike DeWine, along with U.S. House seats, state offices, legislative races and Ohio Supreme Court justices. In his last midterm, Suffolk was rated among the most accurate pollsters in the nation.
