U.S. House, Senate, governor on Ohio primary ballots Tuesday

By Andrew Rice
The Center Square

Voters in Ohio will head to polls on Tuesday to select their respective party nominees after the state legislature conducted a mid-decade redistricting effort to yield greater representation for Republicans in Congress.

Voters in the Buckeye state will head to polls to engage in competitive races for federal and statewide representatives. Here are some of those races.

Governor

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine is term-limited and cannot run for reelection in the Buckeye state. Instead, a competitive race to succeed the governor is taking place with high-profile names vying for the spot.

Vivek Ramasway and Casey Putsch are all vying for the Republican nomination in the state’s governors race. Ramaswamy previously ran against President Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election.

Trump endorsed Ramaswamy shortly after he announced the bid for governor in 2025. The endorsement appears to have propelled Ramaswamy to the top of the Republican ticket.

“Vivek is a very good person who truly loves our Country,” Trump wrote on social media. “He will be a GREAT Governor of Ohio, will never let you down, and has my COMPLETE AND TOTAL ENDORSEMENT!”

Putsch, an entrepreneur, has focused his campaign on targeting DEI programs and immigrant work visas. He has specifically targeted abuses in the H-1B visa lottery system, which recruits high-skilled immigrants to work in technology and science sectors throughout the country.

“Ohio is suffering under a corrupt, out of touch political establishment that is selling out the state to mass immigration, data center special interests and more,” Putsch wrote.

Ramaswamy’s running mate is Ohio Senate President Rob McColley. He has served in the state senate since 2017.

Either Ramaswamy or Patsch will go on to face Dr. Amy Acton, the sole Democratic candidate in Ohio’s gubernatorial race.

U.S. Senate

U.S. Sen. Jon Husted is looking to win his first election to the congressional body after being appointed to fill Vice President JD Vance’s open Senate seat. Ohio’s U.S. Senate race will count as a special election to determine who fills the remainder of Vance’s term, which is set to end in 2028.

Husted faces no challenger in Tuesday’s Republican primary, but a slew of Democrats are vying for the nomination to face off against him in the November election.

Former U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown appears to be the frontrunner to challenge Husted in November. Brown previously served as a U.S. Senator for nearly 20 years before being ousted by Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, in 2024.

Brown has attacked Husted’s voting record and called for bans of stock trading in Congress. He also criticized Husted’s vote on the One Big Beautiful Bill. Brown has also criticized giving tax breaks to corporations.

“Ohio deserves a leader who is focused on bringing down costs and making Ohioans’ lives easier every single day,” Brown wrote.

Brown will face off against Rob Kincaid for the Democratic nomination. Kincaid proposed a tax on artificial intelligence and automation companies to mitigate the loss of jobs in Ohio.

“The result is a modest, guaranteed monthly dividend that helps families cover essentials like rent, groceries, and utilities — without replacing the dignity or value of a good job,” Kincaid wrote.

U.S. House

In District 1, incumbent Democrat Greg Landsman will look to defend his seat in Congress after the Ohio legislature redrew congressional district boundaries in October 2025. The new map appears to be aimed at unseating Landsman as more Republican favoring areas will now be included in his district.

Landsman has highlighted his work to lower healthcare costs and cap insulin costs. He boasted of his prior city council work designed to get wage increases.

“Greg is focused on investing in job training and small businesses, raising the minimum wage, and protecting the right to organize,” Landsman’s campaign website reads.

Three Republicans have declared candidacy to represent Ohio’s first congressional district. Holly Adams, Eric Conroy and Rosemary Oglesby-Henry have thrown their names in the ring.

Conroy, an Air Force veteran and former CIA officer, has focused his campaign on increased national security and competition with foreign nations, like China.

“I care deeply about policies that strengthen American competitiveness, support working families, ensure energy independence, and uphold the rule of law,” Conroy wrote.

With new traditionally Republican communities in the district, the race toward a general election will be especially competitive in Ohio’s first district.

Ohio voters will also head to the polls on Tuesday to select candidates for secretary of state, treasurer, attorney general and the state legislature. Ohio has a Republican trifecta, which means the state senate, house and governor’s office are all controlled by the GOP.

Voters will elect 17 of the Senate’s 33 seats in 2026 and will elect all 99 offices in the state’s House of Representatives. The Senate currently has a 23-9 Republican majority while the House has a 65-34 majority.

Early voting ends today. Polls are open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m on Tuesday.