Ohio – Ohio looked firmly Republican after the 2024 election. President Donald Trump carried the state by 11 points, Republican businessman Bernie Moreno defeated longtime Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown, and many observers believed the Buckeye State had fully completed its shift away from its old battleground identity.
Now, however, Democrats believe the political picture may not be as settled as it appeared just a year ago.
A mix of economic frustration, rising fuel prices, and growing fatigue surrounding Trump’s second term is giving Democrats renewed hope that Ohio could once again become competitive heading into 2026. At the center of that strategy are two familiar names: Sherrod Brown and former Ohio health director Amy Acton.
Brown is attempting a political comeback against Republican Sen. Jon Husted, who was appointed to replace Vice President JD Vance after Vance joined the Trump administration. At the same time, Democrats are betting that Acton can compete for the governor’s mansion as Republican Gov. Mike DeWine reaches the end of his term limits.
For Republicans, the developments are creating a level of concern that barely existed after the 2024 election.
Democrats See New Openings in Ohio
Hunter Woodall argued that conditions now look very different from the environment Republicans benefited from during Trump’s landslide Ohio victory.
While Trump remains the dominant figure inside the Republican Party, Democrats believe the political climate surrounding his second term may be creating fresh vulnerabilities for GOP candidates farther down the ballot.
Economic concerns appear to be playing a major role. Rising living costs, expensive fuel prices, and broader frustration with the economy are becoming central Democratic talking points as they try to reconnect with voters who drifted away from the party in recent years.
“There’s no doubt that having Sherrod Brown at the top of the ticket makes a huge difference for Democrats’ ability to compete this cycle,” state House Democratic Leader Dani Isaacsohn said.
Brown’s return to statewide politics has already produced one major result: money.
According to the Ohio Capitol Journal, Brown has dramatically outraised Husted in the early stages of the race.
“Brown brought in more than $7.3 million in direct contributions and transfers from other committees. With a nudge from joint fundraising groups, that total swells to $8.8 million. Meanwhile, Husted raised a little more than $1.5 million between direct donations and transfers from joint committees. Brown has almost $10 million in the bank, while Husted has just shy of $6 million.”
The fundraising gap is especially notable because it suggests Democrats are energized even in a state that has increasingly leaned Republican over the last decade.
Much of Brown’s support is reportedly coming from smaller donors instead of large corporate money. The Ohio Capitol Journal reported that Brown collected more than $2 million through the Democratic fundraising platform ActBlue during the final months of 2025 alone.
His campaign also claimed the average contribution was roughly $54 and said 18,640 people donated for the first time.
That combination — strong grassroots fundraising and a familiar statewide Democratic figure — is giving Democrats hope they may be able to rebuild some of the coalition that once made Ohio one of the nation’s premier swing states.
Amy Acton Adds to Democratic Optimism
Brown is not the only Democrat Republicans are watching closely.
Democrats also believe Amy Acton could become a surprisingly strong gubernatorial candidate. Acton became nationally known during the COVID-19 pandemic while serving as director of the Ohio Department of Health under DeWine.
Although Republicans heavily criticized many pandemic-era policies, Democrats believe Acton may appeal to suburban voters and independents frustrated with political division and economic instability.
Woodall argued that broader national conditions may temporarily help Democrats overcome some of the messaging struggles that damaged the party in previous elections.
“In the short term … political gravity and a midterm cycle shaped by Trump’s second term and frustrations about the cost of living may help [Democrats] overcome the kind of messaging woes that last lost them control in Washington,” he said.
Still, Republicans are far from panicking publicly.
Despite the fundraising advantage Brown currently holds and the renewed Democratic optimism, many inside GOP circles remain convinced Ohio’s political transformation is real and durable.
Trump has now carried the state three consecutive times, each by comfortable margins, and Republicans still dominate many rural regions that were once Democratic strongholds.
Even Woodall noted that Republicans believe the state’s broader political direction still favors them.
“While Brown being on the ballot has created at least a level of anxiety among Republicans, there’s still confidence within GOP circles that the state’s red hue will remain.”
That uncertainty is exactly why both parties are suddenly paying far closer attention to Ohio again.
Just one year after many analysts believed the state had fully slipped out of Democrats’ reach, Republicans are now confronting a possibility they did not expect: Ohio may once again become one of the most fiercely contested political battlegrounds in America.
