Ohio voters head to the polls on Tuesday, May 5, 2026, with a primary that could shape the state’s role in the battle for Congress and the governor’s office. Polls open at 6:30 a.m. local time and close at 7:30 p.m.
The ballot covers the US Senate, US House, governor, attorney general, secretary of state, treasurer, state supreme court, state senate and state house, but two contests are drawing the most attention: the special election for one of Ohio’s two US Senate seats and the race to replace Republican Governor Mike DeWine. Former US Senator Sherrod Brown is trying to win back the seat he lost in 2024, a contest that could matter for Democratic hopes of recapturing the Senate majority. Republicans now hold only a slim edge in the chamber, which makes every competitive race feel larger than a single state.
In the governor’s race, Vivek Ramaswamy is facing internet personality Casey Putsch for the Republican nomination, while Amy Acton is running unopposed on the Democratic side and will meet the GOP winner in November. Ramaswamy has the backing of the state Republican Party and Donald Trump, who called him “young, strong, and smart” and offered his “complete and total endorsement” in a social media post in November. The financial gap is stark: the reported that Putsch had less than $9,000 in his campaign account at the end of April, while Ramaswamy had $31 million.
There is also a wrinkle that could confuse voters at the ballot box. Heather Hill was disqualified after her running mate for lieutenant governor withdrew from the race, but her name will still appear on the ballot and her votes will not be counted. That kind of detail can matter in a low-turnout primary, where ballot design and candidate status can decide whether a vote counts the way a voter expects.
The stakes go beyond state offices. These primaries come before the November midterms, which are being treated as a referendum on President Donald Trump’s second term and as a fight over which party controls Congress for the rest of his presidency. In Ohio, that puts the Senate race and the governor’s contest at the center of a broader test of Republican strength in a state that remains one of the most closely watched in the country. Brown is betting that his return bid can exploit that pressure. Ramaswamy is betting that Trump’s endorsement and his huge cash advantage can carry him through. On Tuesday, voters will decide whether those bets still hold.