Sen. Jon Husted (R-Ohio) holds a six-point lead over former Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), according to a poll released days after Brown launched his campaign for Senate. 

Husted led Brown 50 percent to 44 percent, according to a new Emerson College poll released on Friday. The poll’s margin of error was plus or minus three percentage points. 

“In the first public poll following Sherrod Brown’s 2026 campaign kick-off, the former Senator trails the incumbent Jon Husted by six points, though he has a higher name recognition than the first-term Senator,” said Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling. 

Brown launched his campaign on Monday, less than a year after he lost his reelection bid to Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) in November. 

Despite being the last statewide elected Democrat in Ohio when he lost his reelection bid last November, Brown will likely be a formidable challenger. The former senator’s campaign announced on Tuesday that he raised $3.6 million in the 24 hours after he launched his bid. 

The nonpartisan Cook Political Report moved its rating of Ohio’s Senate race from likely Republican to lean Republican following Brown’s entrance into the race, reflecting the competitive edge Brown brings to the contest. 

However, Brown will face an uphill climb in the race to win back his Senate seat. Ohio is considered a solidly red state, which President Trump won by roughly 11 points. The same poll showed President Trump with a 49 percent approval rate and a 42 percent disapproval rate. 

Husted was appointed by Gov. Mike DeWine (R) earlier this year after Vice President Vance vacated the seat to join the Trump administration.

The Emerson College poll was conducted Aug. 18-19 among 1,000 active Ohio registered voters.