Ohio’s 12th District House Race 2026

Incumbent Democrat Joyce Beatty is defending her seat in Ohio's 3rd Congressional District, which covers most of Columbus, against Republican challenger Cleophus Dulaney in the November 3 election. Beatty, 76, has held the seat since 2012, serves on the House Financial Services Committee, and is campaigning on affordable housing, civil rights, education and the economy.

Dulaney, 66, a local business owner who previously lost a 2020 primary bid for the seat, was arrested by the FBI in 2024 in connection with the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot, facing charges including assaulting a police officer. He received clemency from President Trump on his first day in office as part of a mass pardon covering roughly 1,600 people tied to the attack. Dulaney describes his participation as peaceful protest and says he is running on cost-of-living, immigration and housing issues, though he lacks the Franklin County GOP's endorsement. Notably, records show Dulaney actually resides just outside the district he seeks to represent, while Beatty lives within its boundaries.

Democrat Sherrod Brown released a viral 30-second ad attacking Republican Sen. Jon Husted over remarks Husted made in March about people living in poverty. The ad features Ohio residents reacting with shock and profanity as they watch a clip of Husted saying poor people are "not very experienced at navigating the real world" and describing a young woman on food stamps who he said didn't "understand how money works at a grocery store," adding that "you literally have to teach people how to budget." It drew over 350,000 views within hours, praised by Brown supporters as exposing Husted as out of touch while drawing backlash from the right.

The ad comes as two new polls, from Suffolk University/USA Today and Marist, show Brown leading Husted by three and eight points respectively ahead of Ohio's Nov. 3 special Senate election to finish JD Vance's term. Both surveys found broad dissatisfaction with President Trump's job performance and economic concerns weighing on voters, continuing a months-long trend of polling favoring Brown, a former longtime senator ousted in 2024.

A Fox News poll conducted Aug. 6-10 shows former Sen. Sherrod Brown (D) leading Sen. Jon Husted (R) 53% to 45% in Ohio's U.S. Senate race, matching the same eight-point margin Fox found in late May/early June. However, other surveys and polling averages show a far tighter contest: RealClearPolling's aggregate has Brown at 47.8% and Husted at 47.2%, an AARP poll in June had Brown up just three points, and a New York Times/Siena poll had Husted ahead by three.

Analysts note methodological differences—such as registered versus likely voters—help explain the variation, and caution against treating any single poll as predictive. The Fox survey found inflation and financial strain as top voter concerns, with Brown leading heavily among those who feel they're falling behind financially. Concerns that Husted is too closely aligned with President Trump have risen since June. The same poll showed Republican Vivek Ramaswamy edging Democrat Amy Acton in the governor's race. Husted, appointed after J.D. Vance became vice president, faces Brown on Nov. 3 to serve the remainder of Vance's term.

A New York Times/Siena College poll shows Democrats with narrow leads in Ohio's marquee 2025 races, though both contests remain within the margin of error. Democrat Sherrod Brown led Republican Jon Husted 49%-46% in the Senate race, while Democrat Amy Acton led Republican Vivek Ramaswamy 49%-45% for governor. The poll surveyed 616 voters from Sept. 22 to Oct. 1, with a margin of error of plus-or-minus 4.5 percentage points.

Both races are rated toss-ups by the Cook Political Report and Sabato's Crystal Ball. Brown and Acton held stronger net favorability than their opponents, drawing more support from younger and non-white voters, while Husted and Ramaswamy performed better among men and white voters. Voters cited the economy as their top concern, followed by inflation and immigration, and a plurality said Ohio is headed in the wrong direction. The same pollster showed Brown and Kamala Harris ahead in Ohio in October 2024, before Republicans won both races that November, underscoring the uncertainty around the latest numbers. Election Day is Nov. 3, with early voting underway.

Democrats Sherrod Brown and Amy Acton hold leads over their Republican opponents in two new Ohio surveys ahead of the Nov. 3 election. A Fox News poll shows Brown ahead of Sen. Jon Husted 52%-47% among likely voters, while Cook Political Report has Brown up 49%-43%. In the governor's race, Fox finds Acton leading Vivek Ramaswamy 50%-48%, with Cook showing a wider 49%-44% margin. Economic concerns and Trump's job approval, underwater in Fox's poll, favor Democrats, while Husted and Ramaswamy draw strength from men and voters citing stable finances. The Senate race has become the cycle's most expensive, with over $422 million in ad spending tracked.

Even with abortion rights enshrined in Ohio's Constitution since a 2023 ballot measure, the state's next governor will hold significant sway over how those protections are implemented, from clinic regulation to reproductive-health funding. Courts are still expected to rule in coming years on remaining restrictions, including a 24-hour waiting period and a telehealth medication-abortion ban, giving the governor leverage to veto or champion new legislation from the Republican-controlled General Assembly.

Democratic nominee Amy Acton says she would protect and expand abortion access but has offered few specifics, pointing instead to Ohioans' 2023 vote. As state health director under Gov. Mike DeWine, she both defended abortion restrictions in court and allowed a Dayton clinic to resume procedures. Republican Vivek Ramaswamy, who has called abortion "murder" and backed six-week bans as a 2024 presidential candidate, has declined to detail his gubernatorial plans, though an anti-abortion group says he privately expressed strong support. Libertarian Don Kissick opposes both bans and government efforts to expand access, calling for government to stay out of the issue entirely.

President Donald Trump held a rally in Youngstown, Ohio, urging supporters to back Republican U.S. Senate candidate Jon Husted against Democrat Sherrod Brown and gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy against Democrat Amy Acton ahead of the November midterms. Speaking at the Covelli Centre, Trump framed the races as a choice to "Put Ohio First" and asked attendees to treat the contests as if he were personally on the ballot. He also announced federal assistance for SOBE Thermal Energy Systems and disclosed that Cleveland will host a new 46,000-square-foot U.S. Navy submarine component repair facility, crediting Husted with securing the project. Jon Gruden introduced Trump, with boxer Jake Paul also appearing.

A new co/efficient poll of 925 likely Ohio voters, taken Oct. 5-6, found both races within the margin of error: Ramaswamy led Acton 45%-43% in the governor's race, while Husted led Brown 44%-43% in the Senate contest, a special election to fill the seat J.D. Vance vacated. Analysts continue to rate both races as toss-ups.

Ohio legislative leaders are scrambling to reconvene lawmakers next week to vote on a proposal from Republican gubernatorial nominee Vivek Ramaswamy to suspend the state's gas and diesel taxes for 90 days amid surging fuel prices. House Speaker Matt Huffman and Senate President Rob McColley, Ramaswamy's running mate, said their chambers plan to return around Sept. 30, though the effort to secure enough votes and lawmaker attendance was still in flux. The plan, unveiled Monday, would suspend Ohio's 38.5-cents-per-gallon gas tax and 47-cents-per-gallon diesel tax, at a cost of roughly $640 million covered by ODOT reserves, the general fund, and potentially the state's rainy-day fund.

Passing it with immediate effect requires a two-thirds "emergency clause" vote, meaning some Democratic support is needed in the House. Gov. Mike DeWine, who previously blocked a similar moratorium, has not committed to signing it. Critics have called the timing—weeks before the Nov. 3 election, with Ramaswamy facing a competitive race against Amy Acton—politically motivated.

Ohio Republican legislative leaders introduced Senate Bill 475 on Monday, revising GOP gubernatorial nominee Vivek Ramaswamy's proposal to suspend the state's gas tax for 90 days. The bill would use roughly $725 million from the state's projected general fund surplus to replace lost gas-tax revenue, rather than tapping the Ohio Department of Transportation's cash reserves or the state's rainy-day fund as Ramaswamy originally proposed. Gov. Mike DeWine had criticized those funding sources as risky, and lawmakers appear to have shifted course in response, though leaders declined to credit his objections directly. The bill also sets aside $1 million to reimburse gas stations for updating receipt systems.

Republican leaders, including Senate President and Ramaswamy running mate Rob McColley and House Speaker Matt Huffman, aim to pass the bill Wednesday as an emergency measure, requiring supermajority support including at least one House Democrat. The move comes as Ramaswamy faces Democrat Amy Acton, who floated a similar proposal, in a closely watched governor's race just before Nov. 3 early voting begins. DeWine has signaled openness to a funding approach he can support.

Ohio state Sen. Bill DeMora (D-Columbus) has introduced Senate Bill 479 to prohibit gambling on elections, a measure that would extend to prediction markets such as Kalshi and Polymarket. The bill follows a 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that Ohio can regulate prediction markets under state gambling law, a decision Kalshi is appealing. DeMora cited election-security concerns, noting large sums already wagered on Ohio's governor and Senate races, and argued unregulated prediction markets avoid taxes and licensing fees paid by sports betting operators. The bill awaits committee assignment and is unlikely to advance before the legislature returns from break in November.