Ramaswamy, Husted trail Democrats in Ohio poll by AARP

A new poll from AARP has Vivek Ramaswamy (R) and Sen. Jon Husted (R-Ohio) narrowly trailing their Democratic opponents in the Ohio gubernatorial and Senate races, respectively.

The survey, conducted by bipartisan polling team Fabrizio Ward and Impact Research from June 14 through 16, found Democratic nominee Amy Acton leading Ramaswamy, a GOP candidate for president in 2024, 47 percent to 44 percent among 800 likely voters.

Husted, meanwhile, trails former Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) 48 percent to 45 percent. The incumbent Republican is seeking election to a full term in office after Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) appointed his then-lieutenant governor to fill the seat vacated by Vice President Vance.

The leads held by Acton and Brown — the latter of whom represented Ohio in the upper chamber for three terms before losing to Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) in 2024 — are within the margin of error of 3.5 percentage points.

Polling in both races is defined by generational differences, as the state sits in the top half of median ages nationally, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Acton, the former director of the Ohio Department of Health under DeWine, leads Ramaswamy by 24 points among likely voters under 50, while the latter leads by 10 points among voters 50 and up. Brown leads Husted by 22 points among likely voters under 50, with the Republican holding an 8-point edge among likely voters above 50.

Acton and Brown also have 26- and 28-point leads among independent respondents, respectively.

Nancy LeaMond, AARP’s executive vice president, said last week in a release that voters ages 50 and older “are extremely motivated” to vote in this year’s midterms.

“This is the most influential voting bloc in American elections,” she added. “They consistently vote at outsized rates, and the issues that matter most to them — Social Security, Medicare, inflation, and retirement security — decide the outcome in competitive races.”

LeaMond said Social Security is “one of the top issues” for older swing voters. Earlier this month, the Trump administration released a report showing the entitlement program will not provide full benefits within seven years under existing law.