Ohio governor race between Ramaswamy, Acton a toss-up, new poll finds

• A new poll from Bowling Green State University shows the Ohio governor's race between Vivek Ramaswamy and Amy Acton is a statistical tie.
• The U.S. Senate race between Jon Husted and Sherrod Brown is also a toss-up, according to the poll.
• A majority of Ohio respondents disapprove of President Trump's job performance and are concerned about the economy.

With the general election still more than six months away, the race for Ohio governor between Republican Vivek Ramaswamy and Democrat Amy Acton is a virtual tie, according to a new poll from Bowling Green State University.

In the race for U.S. Senate, Republican Sen. Jon Husted holds a 3-point advantage over former Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown, also a statistical tie given the poll's margin of error. Brown lost a race for re-election in 2024 to Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio.

The poll also found that Democrats are more motivated than usual to vote in the midterm election.

“Every sign is pointing to close races for governor and U.S. Senate in Ohio. President Trump is generally unpopular, Democrats are far more enthusiastic, and the economy is a major concern for voters. Taken together, this midterm likely provides the best opportunity for Democrats to win statewide offices in 20 years.” Robert Alexander, professor of political science at BGSU, said in a statement.

Here's what the poll shows.

Amy Acton, Vivek Ramaswamy race for Ohio governor in a virtual tie, Bowling Green poll finds

The BGSU poll, conducted April 7-14 by the Democracy and Public Policy Network in the Department of Political Science in partnership with YouGov, found Ramaswamy leading Acton by 1 percentage point, 48% to 47%. The poll has a 3.9% margin of error, plus or minus.

In the primary election, to be held May 5, Ramaswamy’s Republican challengers Casey Putsch and Heather Hill showed some support, with both polling at 12%. Just over half of Putsch supporters indicated they would vote for Ramaswamy if Putsch is not the party’s nominee.

Acton is running unopposed in the Democratic primary. 

Jon Husted, Sherrod Brown race for U.S. Senate also a toss-up

The BGSU poll also found a statistical tie in the race for U.S. Senate, with Husted leading Brown 50% to 47%.

Democrats more motivated to go to polls this election, BGSU poll finds

Democrats polled say they are more motivated than usual to vote in the midterm election compared to Republicans, 61% to 37%. However, Republicans hold a slight edge when it comes to who respondents say they will vote for on a generic congressional ballot, 48% to 43%. 

Trump approval rating underwater over economy, Iran and state of democracy in US

The BGSU poll found a majority of Ohio respondents disapprove of President Donald Trump’s performance in office resulting in a -6 net job approval rating. This marks a slight rebound of 4 percentage points from the October poll, which found him at a -10 net job approval rating.

Among Ohioans polled, 15% of Trump voters regret their vote to at least “some degree.” 

The economy is by far the most important issue on the minds of voters, and 56% think the economy has gotten worse over the past year compared to 22% who say it is better.

A majority of voters oppose ground forces in Iran (67%), the Iran campaign itself (53%) and Trump’s tariff policies (56%).

Most Ohioans do not think checks and balances are currently maintaining accountability in the federal government (63%) and most are dissatisfied with how democracy is working in the country (54%).