Voters in the US state of Ohio will go to the polls in the state’s primary to choose candidates for several key positions in the midterm elections scheduled for November.
of The results of several races in Midwestern states could have important implications for the crucial midterm election, which is widely seen as a referendum and vote on President Donald Trump’s second term. That will determine which party controls Congress for the remainder of his term.
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When is voting held, which races are being watched, and who are the leading candidates? This brief answers these questions and more.
When is the Ohio primary?
The Ohio primary will be held on Tuesday, May 5, 2026.
When does voting start and end?
Voting will begin at 6:30 a.m. local time (10:30 GMT) on Election Day and end at 7:30 p.m. (23:30 GMT).
What does the ballot say?
Voters will have the opportunity to choose candidates in primaries for the U.S. Senate, U.S. House of Representatives, governor, attorney general, secretary of state, secretary of the treasury, state supreme court, state senate, and state legislative elections.
Which races will be front and center?
The special election for one of Ohio’s two U.S. Senate seats and the race to replace Republican Gov. Mike DeWine has garnered the most attention because of its ties to national politics.
In the gubernatorial race, former presidential candidate and technology entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, backed by Trump, is facing off against Internet personality Casey Pucci for the Republican nomination.
The race could test how much influence President Trump still has with Republican voters as a potential kingmaker.
The Ohio Senate race is also critical to Democrats’ hopes of taking back the U.S. Senate in November, where Republicans currently hold a slim majority. Former Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown is seeking a return to the Senate after losing his seat to a Republican challenger in 2024.
Who are the gubernatorial candidates?
Former Ohio Department of Health Secretary Amy Acton is running unopposed in the Democratic gubernatorial primary and will face the winner of the Republican primary in November.
The Republican primary is even more contentious. Mr Ramaswamy has emerged as the party’s front-runner, but faces a challenge from the populist right from Mr Puig, an auto racing engineer and right-wing political commentator.
Mr. Puig, who had less than $9,000 in campaign contributions at the end of April compared to his rival’s $31 million, is pitching himself as a more ardent representative of President Trump’s “America First” ideology than Mr. Ramaswamy, the Associated Press reported.
Ramaswamy has been endorsed by the state Republican Party as well as Trump himself, who called him “young, strong and smart” in a social media post in November and expressed his “full and complete support.”
A third Republican candidate, Heather Hill, was disqualified after the lieutenant governor candidate withdrew from the race after several days of exchanging insults on social media. Her name will still appear on the ballot, but her vote will not be counted.
Who is running for the U.S. Senate?
Ohio’s Senate race is expected to be one of the closest midterm elections and a key step toward Democrats’ goal of wresting the majority from Republicans.
The special election will fill the Senate seat vacated by Vice President J.D. Vance, President Trump’s running mate in 2024.
Jon Husted, appointed to fill the seat on an interim basis after Vance’s resignation, is running as the uncontested incumbent Republican candidate.
Former Sen. Sherrod Brown, who lost his 2024 re-election bid to Republican challenger Bernie Moreno, is considered a front-runner in the Democratic primary.
He is running against Ron Kincaid for the Democratic nomination, but maintains a strong advantage in fundraising and name recognition. Opinion polls predict a close race between Democratic nominee Brown and Husted in November.
Do I need ID to vote?
Ohio requires voters to show identification, such as a state driver’s license, state ID card, passport or military ID card.
ID must be current and include a photo and the voter’s name to appear on the voting list.
Republican lawmakers have long called for stricter voter identification requirements to protect election integrity.
Although there is no evidence of widespread voter fraud in the United States, President Trump and his allies have used false claims of widespread illegal voting to call for more restrictions on voting access, including through mail-in voting and other methods.
Who can vote?
Any registered voter can participate in any party’s primary election. The state does not register voters by political party, but if you participate in a primary, you are considered a voter affiliated with that party.
