ICYMI: "Jon Husted Leads Sherrod Brown Among Ohio Union Voters in New Poll"
WASHINGTON, D.C. — New polling commissioned by the Coalition to Protect American Workers (CPAW) and covered exclusively by theWashington Examiner shows Republican candidates leading among union household voters in two of Ohio's most closely watched 2026 races, delivering an early warning sign for Democrats who have long counted on organized labor as a cornerstone of their coalition.
Gene Hamilton, Senior Advisor to CPAW, responded to the findings:
"The data from Ohio and Michigan tells a story that the Democrat labor establishment doesn't want to hear: union household voters are done being taken for granted. A majority of Ohio and Michigan Democrats want to end the coercive organizing tactics that union leadership has relied on for years. That's not a blip in polling, it's a political realignment. It is workers across the ideological spectrum saying they want fairness, transparency, and a real vote. CPAW supports the National Labor Relations Board moving an agenda forward that gives them exactly that, and candidates who carry that message into 2026 will find a receptive audience at every kitchen table in both states."
Key findings from the survey of 500 Ohio union household members (conducted March 9–11, 2026):
Sen. Jon Husted (R-OH) leads former Sen. Sherrod Brown 48%–42% among union household voters, despite Brown's endorsements from more than 20 unions and a career built on organized labor support.
Republican Vivek Ramaswamy leads Democrat Amy Acton 48%–41% in the Ohio governor's race among the same voters.
60% of union households support eliminating practices that allow workers to be pressured into voting without a secret ballot.
61% support changes to prevent union leadership from delaying elections — a direct rebuke of the Biden-era blocking charge rule.
Support for these reforms cuts across party lines, with majorities of Democrats, Republicans, and independents all backing at least some of the proposed changes.
Union households backed President Trump in 2024 with 56% support and now give him a net positive approval rating; Republicans lead the generic congressional ballot among these voters 51%–38%.
Approximately 16% of union household voters remain undecided on candidates aligned with union leadership priorities — a "moveable middle" that could decide races already polling within the margin.
The Ohio results build on similar pollingreleased last month in Michigan, where union voters also showed strong support for labor reforms centered on secret ballots and fair elections.
The pattern is clear: rank-and-file workers across battleground states are drawing a sharp line between the unions that deliver for them and union leadership that has traded worker results for partisan power. In races decided by margins this thin, candidates who stand with workers have a real opening — and union leadership has no one to blame but itself.
Survey: N=500 Ohio union household members, +/– 4.4% MoE, conducted March 9–11, 2026.