4 candidates are on the ballot. Below is what each one says they stand for, what they have actually done in office or in public life, and the arguments published for and against them — each quoted from a named source rather than summarised by us.
4 candidates · ballot order · Jon Husted currently holds this seat
Medium confidenceMedium confidenceThe candidate's stated positions and basic record are documented, but coverage is thin — often little independent reporting, or criticism from only one side.What would raise it: More independent reporting, a documented voting record, or published criticism from a named opponent would raise this.
What they say they stand for
Their own words. Claims, not verified facts.
Tax relief for middle- and working-class Americans, including eliminating taxes on tips and overtime and reducing taxes on Social Security benefits.
Securing the southern border and strengthening immigration enforcement.
Combating the flow of fentanyl and illegal drugs into Ohio communities.
Workforce development and strengthening American manufacturing.
Supporting law enforcement and public safety.
What they’ve actually done
Documented record from official sources.
U.S. Senator from Ohio since January 21 2025, by appointment.
Lieutenant Governor of Ohio, 2019–2025.
Ohio Secretary of State, 2011–2019.
Speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives, 2005–2009.
Unopposed in the May 5 2026 Republican primary.
Testified in the federal trial of former FirstEnergy executives over the House Bill 6 bribery scandal.
Identified in court filings as 'State Official 2' in connection with that scandal. He has not been charged and denies meaningful involvement.
The average Ohio residential electric bill has risen by roughly $663 a year since House Bill 6 took effect.
Arguments in favor
He helped pass major tax relief for middle- and working-class Americans, including eliminating taxes on tips and overtime and cutting taxes on Social Security benefits.
— Jon Husted for Senate campaign and the National Republican Senatorial Committee
Two decades in Ohio statewide and legislative office — Speaker, Secretary of State and Lieutenant Governor — make him the most experienced administrator in the race.
— Ohio Republican Party
His opponent, not he, is responsible for the health care system Ohioans complain about: 'every problem in the health care system is something that Sherrod Brown created over the last 32 years.'
— Sen. Jon Husted
Arguments against
Court filings and internal FirstEnergy communications indicate he helped drive passage of House Bill 6, the $1 billion nuclear bailout at the centre of Ohio's largest corruption scandal, and documents contradict parts of his trial testimony.
— Federal court filings in the FirstEnergy prosecution, as reported by WKYC and TiffinOhio.net
Ohio ratepayers are still paying for that law — the average residential electric bill is about $663 a year higher since it took effect — while he was connected to the company that benefited.
— Sherrod Brown's campaign and allied groups, as reported by E&E News
He has a history of connections to both energy and charter school scandals in Ohio.
— Ohio Democratic Party, citing the Ohio Capital Journal
What we couldn’t verify
The outcome of the FirstEnergy prosecution and whether any finding about his conduct results from it; he has not been charged.
His detailed response to the documents said to contradict his testimony.
His position on data centres and their effect on Ohio electricity rates, which has become a central issue in this race.
Taking on what he calls a 'rigged system' in which drug companies, oil companies, Wall Street and railroads hold too much power.
Protecting health care coverage for people at risk of losing it.
Opposing the proliferation of data centres and the electricity costs they impose on ratepayers.
Support for small businesses and for farmers harmed by tariffs.
Labour and manufacturing jobs, long the centre of his politics.
What they’ve actually done
Documented record from official sources.
U.S. Senator from Ohio, 2007–2025; chaired the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee.
U.S. Representative from Ohio for seven terms before entering the Senate.
Ohio Secretary of State, 1983–1991.
Lost his 2024 re-election bid to Bernie Moreno.
Launched his campaign for this seat in August 2025 and won the May 2026 Democratic primary easily.
Has made opposition to data centre development a central campaign issue.
Arguments in favor
He has spent his career against a rigged system in which drug companies, oil companies, Wall Street and railroads have too much power in Washington and Columbus.
— Sherrod Brown for Senate campaign
He has centred the campaign on concrete Ohio grievances — people losing health coverage, small businesses struggling, farmers hurt by tariffs, and electricity bills driven up by data centres.
— Sherrod Brown for Senate campaign, as reported by The Hill
An internal National Republican Senatorial Committee memo warned that the data centre issue was hurting Republicans in this race — the issue he has built his campaign on.
— Internal NRSC memo, as reported by E&E News and the Daily Caller
Arguments against
He has a radical agenda of allowing biological men to compete in women's sports, fuelling mass illegal immigration, and failing to protect Ohio's good-paying manufacturing jobs.
— National Republican Senatorial Committee spokesman
He is a radical leftist who backed open border policies that cost Ohioans their lives.
— National Republican Senatorial Committee
He is hiding from his own record, and every problem in the health care system is something he created over 32 years in office.
— Sen. Jon Husted, his Republican opponent
What we couldn’t verify
The NRSC's claim linking him to a deadly Ohio interstate crash was examined by FactCheck.org, which found the ties weak, and the family whose photograph appeared in the Republican ad publicly objected to its use. Readers should treat that particular line of attack as disputed.
His specific policy on data centres — whether moratorium, utility-style regulation or ratepayer protection.
Whether he would seek his old committee chairmanship.
Ballot access reform, the cause he is best known for within his party.
Libertarian Party platform positions; his specific 2026 policy positions could not be established from sources located.
What they’ve actually done
Documented record from official sources.
National Chair of the Libertarian Party, 2006–2010; Treasurer, 2024–2026.
Libertarian Party member since 1984, with a long record of ballot access litigation and organising.
Vice president at BIA Advisory Services, 1985–2020; managing director at Summit Ridge Group.
Degrees from Indiana University Bloomington and the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
Won the Libertarian primary on May 5 2026 and is on the November 3 general election ballot.
Has not held elected office.
Arguments in favor
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
Arguments against
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
What we couldn’t verify
No coverage critical of him by name could be located, so no arguments against him are recorded here rather than substituting criticism of the Libertarian Party generally. With no criticism available, no arguments for him are recorded either, so the two columns stay comparable.
His positions on health care, immigration, energy and the FirstEnergy scandal that dominates this race.
His 2026 policy positions could not be established from any source located.
What they’ve actually done
Documented record from official sources.
Listed as an independent candidate in Ohio's 2026 Senate special election.
No elected office or biographical detail could be established.
Arguments in favor
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
Arguments against
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
What we couldn’t verify
Essentially everything: his background, occupation, positions and campaign.
No coverage critical of him by name could be located, so no arguments against him are recorded here. With no criticism available, no arguments for him are recorded either.
Confirmation of his ballot certification from the Ohio Secretary of State, which could not be retrieved; his inclusion rests on Ballotpedia's race listing alone.
Positions and criticism are quoted from the named sources, not our assessments. This is built to help you start getting informed — confirm the official candidate list with your election authority before you vote.
SPECIAL ELECTION. This fills the remainder of the term won in 2022 by JD Vance, who resigned in January 2025 to become Vice President. Gov. Mike DeWine appointed Jon Husted to the seat, and Husted is now defending it. Roster established from NBC News, Ballotpedia News, the Washington Post and Wikipedia, cross-checked. Husted was unopposed in the May 5 2026 Republican primary; former Sen. Sherrod Brown, who held Ohio's other Senate seat for 18 years before losing to Bernie Moreno in 2024, won the Democratic primary easily. Bill Redpath is the Libertarian nominee and Gregory Levy is running as an independent; no substantive coverage of Levy could be located.
This is one contest on a longer ballot
A Ohio ballot also carries state legislative districts, county offices, judicial seats and often local questions — and which of them you vote on is decided by your street address, not your city or ZIP code.