'Ohio is back': Both parties navigate competitive midterm races in a forgotten battleground

2026 Election‘Ohio is back’: Both parties navigate competitive midterm races in a forgotten battlegroundWhile Republicans are ‘cautiously optimistic’ about Vivek Ramaswamy for governor and Jon Husted for Senate, Democrats like their chances with Amy Acton and Sherrod Brown.Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00Democratic ex-Sen. Sherrod Brown and Republican Sen. Jon Husted will face off in a big general election.Getty ImagesShareAdd NBC News to GoogleMay 5, 2026, 8:00 PM EDTBy Henry J. GomezCLEVELAND — Two hard facts hover over this year’s midterm races in Ohio.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.It’s been 20 years since the state last elected a Democrat as governor. And it’s been even longer since a Democrat not named Sherrod Brown has won a second election to any nonjudicial statewide office.But party leaders are daring to be optimistic in 2026, encouraged by polls that show their candidate for governor, physician Amy Acton, running close with newly official Republican nominee Vivek Ramaswamy. They also scored a recruiting win when Brown launched a comeback Senate bid. Brown won the Democratic nomination Tuesday to face Sen. Jon Husted, the Republican appointed to succeed Vice President JD Vance. Early polls foreshadow a close race in that contest, too.Vivek Ramaswamy in Toledo, Ohio on Feb. 25, 2025.Scott W. Grau / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images file“It just feels like Ohio is back,” said state Democratic Party Chair Kathleen Clyde, referring to a years-long wilderness that, with the exception of when Brown was on the ballot, saw both national parties retreat from what was once a fiercely contested battleground.Alex Triantafilou, the Ohio GOP chair, acknowledged a tough political climate for Republicans this year. President Donald Trump’s job approval ratings have fallen to new lows as he takes the rap for an unpopular war in Iran and rising gas prices that have accelerated frustratio...