Ohio Senate race: Jon Husted and Sherrod Brown await results

COLUMBUS — What Ohio voters decide will help determine the balance of power in Washington.

People from all over the country are watching Ohio’s Senate race between Jon Husted and Sherrod Brown.

News Center 7’s John Bedell and Cody Butler have spent the afternoon in Columbus, where both candidates are holding watch parties tonight.

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Stay tuned to News Center 7 throughout the evening for full election coverage, starting at 5 p.m. We have crews all across the Miami Valley and in Columbus.

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Husted will spend the evening in a hotel ballroom at the Ohio Republican Party Watch Party. The hotel is about a block from the Ohio Statehouse.

Earlier today, Sen. Husted voted at his polling location in Upper Arlington, just northwest of Columbus.

News Center 7 talked with Husted about election night expectations. It has not been unusual to see close polling in this race within a margin of three percentage points.

Husted was asked how confident he was feeling today. He replied, “I feel great. Honestly, the last 30 days we’ve been out traveling, and you’ve seen the enthusiasm build. The size of the crowds builds. And I’ve been doing this for a while, and I feel good about it. And then you look at the early voting numbers, and you see high turnouts, and I think that’s good for us. So, we’re excited about this evening, and our opportunity to get a win.”

Governor DeWine appointed Husted to the Senate last year when Vice President JD Vance left the Senate for the White House. He’s trying to earn voters by electing him to the Senate.

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Sherrod Brown will also be watching the election result from inside a Columbus-area hotel with Dr. Amy Acton and other Democrats.

Brown did not vote today because he is one of the 1.7 million Ohioans who voted early. Since then, he’s been crisscrossing the state trying to get back into the U.S. Senate.

Singer John Legend headlined a rally in Dayton recently supporting Brown. And former President Barack Obama also campaigned in Ohio for him.

Brown was first elected to the Senate in 2006. Then lost his re-election bid to Bernie Moreno two years ago. This race with Husted is one of the closest races in the country.

While in Dayton last week, Brown, like many Democrats, campaigned on the affordability crisis.

Brown said, “Ohio workers are more productive than ever. You work harder than ever, but no matter how hard you work, your pay doesn’t keep up too often. You simply can’t get ahead. Families see more money going out the door and not enough money coming in to pay for healthcare, utilities, and groceries to pay for everything.”

This race is also one of the most expensive races in the country, with more than 500 million being spent trying to get votes.

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