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By Anna Skinner
Associate News Editor
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The battle for a U.S. Senate seat in Ohio between Republican incumbent Jon Husted and Democrat Sherrod Brown is shaping up to be one of the closest contests of the midterm elections, with a small pool of third-party voters potentially determining the winner.
Several key Senate races are unfolding this year that will determine control of Congress. Republicans seek to defend their House and Senate majorities and Democrats look to capitalize on competitive races that could flip control of both chambers of Congress in their favor. Democrats need a net gain of four seats to win control of the Senate and a net gain of three seats to win the House.
Ohio has emerged as an opportunity for Democrats to flip a Republican-held seat, as polls continue to indicate a close race in the Buckeye state, despite its Republican lean in recent years. While President Donald Trump won Ohio in all three of his bids, including in 2024 by 11 percentage points, his declining approval rating has given Democrats a more favorable opportunity to flip the seat on Election Day, November 3.
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However, those hopes could be complicated by third-party voters. Ohio's Senate ballot includes two non-major-party candidates: Libertarian William B. Redpath and independent Gregory Levy, who is affiliated with the Party for Socialism and Liberation.
Newsweek reached out to Husted and Brown on Thursday for comment.
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How New Super PAC Could Sway Ohio's Senate Race
A new super PAC is pouring resources into the race in an effort to boost support for Redpath. The group, Buckeye Freedom PAC, has endorsed Redpath while running ads critical of Husted.
The group, which formed this month, has an ad posted to its website urging people to vote for Redpath, "the real conservative."
"Both parties suck, vote for the real conservative," the ad said.
Buckeye Freedom PAC formed as recent polls have shown tight results between Husted and Brown within the margin of error, raising the possibility that even a small share of votes for a third-party candidate could influence the outcome.
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Husted and Brown could be hurt by the third-party candidates on the ballot, University of Akron political science professor David Cohen told Newsweek on Thursday. Libertarians tend to hurt Republicans in a general election, while third-party candidates associated with socialism tend to hurt Democrats.
"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. "It’s similar to what a different super PAC has been attempting to do this month by boosting the candidacy of Greg Levy, the socialist candidate in the Senate race, which is designed to hurt Democrat Sherrod Brown."
However, Husted could be more susceptible to losing votes than Brown, Bowling Green State University professor of political science Robert Alexander told Newsweek, as enthusiasm among Democrats is currently higher than that of Republicans in the state.
"I don’t see too many Democrats voting third party, but we are seeing a bit more leakage in Republican support," Alexander said. "Second, we see an overall discontent with both parties among independents. This could translate to more third-party voting among this group, and in state where Republicans have done well with independent voters, this could benefit Democrats."
Jon Husted vs. Sherrod Brown: Latest Polls
The latest polls continue to show a tight race between Husted and Brown, with Redpath and Levy resonating with some voters, as well.
- Suffolk University: The survey of 500 likely voters, conducted October 21-26, gave Brown a 3-point lead over Husted, 47 percent to 44 percent, while Redpath and Levy each received 1.6 percent support. Less than 1 percent of respondents said they voted for a Libertarian candidate in the 2024 presidential election, though the poll suggested that third-party candidates are attracting more support in this race.
- Echelon Insights: An Echelon Insights poll of 508 likely voters, conducted October 16-23, showed both Brown and Husted at 47 percent. Levy had 2 percent, Redpath 1 percent and 3 percent were unsure who they would vote for.
- InsiderAdvantage: An InsiderAdvantage poll of 1,200 likely voters, October 21-22, gave Brown a 3-point lead over Husted, 47 percent to 44 percent. Again, third-party candidates received some support, with Levy at 2 percent and Redpath at 1 percent.
Latest Developments in Husted vs. Brown
Five days before the election, Husted and Brown are sharpening their closing arguments as they make their final push to win over undecided voters.
On Wednesday, Husted campaigned in Chillicothe with Trump.
"We are headed back to Chillicothe today, where Kenworth has added 1,000 jobs in the past year because we protected them from unfair trade practices that were literally putting them out of business. Protecting American manufacturing is the America First agenda," Husted posted on X on Wednesday.
Former President Barack Obama visited Ohio last weekend in support of Brown.
Brown has recently lobbed shots at Husted over the Republican senator's votes regarding U.S. involvement in the Iran war. He has also discussed his plan to improve prescription drug pricing if he is elected.
"Ohioans shouldn't have to pay more for prescription drugs made in America than folks do overseas," Brown posted on X. "The same pill should be the same price. We can ban Big Pharma from ripping off Ohioans and I’m ready to fight for that in the Senate."
Why Race Is Important to Midterms
Democrats are hoping to flip control of both chambers of Congress. Republicans are trying to fight off a potential blue wave as Trump's approval ratings continue to slide and voters express concerns tied to the economy, inflation, rising fuel costs and the Iran war.
Ohio has recently been a safe spot for Republicans, having backed Trump in all three of his White House runs, including by double digits in 2024. But as Democrats have gained momentum, the state has become a prime target as one of the four GOP seats they need to flip—while defending their own—to take control of the upper chamber.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Jenna deJong and Dave Siminoff.
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