Ohio Counties Could Decide Husted’s Race Despite Trump Visits

WHO:

NBC News Politics - Sherrod Brown is a Democrat, and Jon Husted is a Republican senator.

NBC News Politics - NBC News chief data analyst Steve Kornacki discussed the Ohio counties Brown or Husted would need to win.

NBC News Politics - NBC News correspondents Garrett Haake and Aaron Gilchrist reported from battleground states.

NBC News Politics - NBC News national politics reporter Allan Smith discussed rhetoric in the Michigan Senate race.

Newsweek - Trump made repeated trips to Ohio in support of Jon Husted.

Rolling Stone Politics - Democrats described as an “insurgent crop” are challenging the president’s influence in the Midwest.

WHAT:

Newsweek - The Ohio Senate race between Jon Husted and Sherrod Brown may come down to third-party voters.

Newsweek - The Ohio Senate race is described as one of the closest contests of the midterms.

NBC News Politics - Kornacki analyzed which Ohio counties Brown or Husted would need to win to secure the Senate seat.

Newsweek - Polling in the Senate special election remained tight, while prediction markets favored Brown.

Newsweek - The headline reported that Trump’s repeated Ohio trips had failed to move the dial for Husted.

Rolling Stone Politics - The article examined whether Trump’s influence in the Midwest was continuing to work.

WHERE:

NBC News Politics - The Senate contest is in Ohio; reporters were reporting from battleground states, and Smith discussed the Michigan Senate race.

Newsweek - Trump’s trips were to Ohio.

Rolling Stone Politics - The article focused on Ohio and Michigan and the broader Midwest.

HOW:

NBC News Politics - Kornacki assessed the race through the counties each candidate would need to win.

Newsweek - The article described polling and prediction markets as indicators of the contest’s state.

(UPDATED October 29, 2026 20:03 UTC)

The Ohio Senate contest between Republican Jon Husted and Democrat Sherrod Brown is one of the closest races of the midterms, with tight polling and prediction markets favoring Brown. Third-party voters could prove decisive, and NBC data analyst Steve Kornacki has examined which counties each candidate needs to win. Despite President Trump’s repeated trips to Ohio to support Husted, the race remains close as Democrats challenge Trump’s influence across the Midwest.

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(UPDATED October 29, 2026 16:05 UTC)

Ohio’s Senate special election remains tight, with prediction markets favoring Democrat Sherrod Brown even after President Trump made repeated trips to support Republican Jon Husted. NBC analyst Steve Kornacki examined which counties each candidate needs to win, while reporters covered battleground states and Michigan’s Senate race. The contests are testing whether Trump’s influence still holds in the Midwest, as Democrats challenge his sway in the region.