Ohio 2026 Results: Brown and Acton Win, Close to Their Final Polls
Dated editorial analysis; figures in this article are not recalculated automatically. Visit the linked race pages for current data.
Ohio voted for both a U.S. senator and a governor in 2026, and Democrats won both seats, according to calls by the Fox News Decision Desk. Both had been held by Republicans. Unlike Texas, where results ran far from the polls, Ohio's polling averages came within about three points of the result in each race.
The special Senate election
The special election filled the remainder of the term to which JD Vance was elected in 2022, before he became vice president. Jon Husted, a former lieutenant governor, had been appointed to the seat. He faced former Senator Sherrod Brown, who lost his Senate seat in 2024. Cook rated the race a Toss-up and Sabato Lean D.
Three verified polls ended in the last two weeks: Suffolk University (Brown 47%, Husted 44%), NYT/Siena (Brown 49%, Husted 44%) and AtlasIntel (Brown 51.4%, Husted 43.9%). The average was Brown +5.2.
The race was called for Brown at 11:14 p.m. ET. With 99% of the expected vote counted, he led 50.0% to 45.2%, a margin of about 4.9 points. That was within about a third of a point of the polling average, one of the closest matches of any race we tracked.
The governor's race
The governor's office was open because Mike DeWine was term-limited. Amy Acton, a former director of the Ohio Department of Health, faced entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy. Cook rated it a Toss-up and Sabato Lean R.
Two verified polls ended in the final two weeks: Suffolk University (Acton 48%, Ramaswamy 44%) and NYT/Siena (Acton 49%, Ramaswamy 43%), for an average of Acton +5. The race was called for Acton at 10:51 p.m. ET. With 99% counted she led 52.3% to 44.4%, about 7.9 points, roughly three points wider than the average.
How the count moved
In both races the Democratic candidate led by more than 15 points in the first returns, which in Ohio include many early and mail ballots. The margins then narrowed through the evening:
- Senate: Brown led by about 15.7 points with 37% counted, about 1.7 points with 68% counted, and about 2.1 points with 88% counted. The margin then widened again, to about 4.9 points, as the last ballots were added.
- Governor: Acton led by about 17.8 points with 37% counted, about 4.5 points with 70%, and about 7.9 points at the end.
Both calls came while the on-screen margins were at their narrowest, which again shows that a decision desk calls a race based on its estimate of the votes still to be counted, not on the margin displayed at that moment.
Why Ohio's polls were closer
We can describe the pattern without claiming to know the cause. Ohio had more polling than many states: three verified Senate polls and two for governor, from three different firms. In the 25 races we checked, averages built on three or more polls were usually within about two points of the result. See How accurate were the 2026 polls? for the comparison and Polls vs results for every race.
Figures are unofficial. Vote shares, share of the expected vote counted and race calls come from the results snapshot this site published on November 4, 2026 (8:51 a.m. ET), drawn from the Fox News Decision Desk results pages; House calls are by The Associated Press. Polling averages are the mean of verified polls ending in the 14 days before Election Day, as shown on each race page. Certified results from state election offices may differ.
Relevant race pages: Ohio Senate · Texas Senate · Ohio Governor · Texas Governor