2018 United States Senate election in Ohio
The 2018 United States Senate election in Ohio took place on November 6, 2018. The candidate filing deadline was February 7, 2018; the primary election was held on May 8, 2018. Incumbent Senator Sherrod Brown—the only remaining elected Democratic statewide officeholder in Ohio at the time of the election—won his bid for a third term, defeating Republican U.S. Representative Jim Renacci by a 6.84% margin in the general election, larger than the 6% margin in the election six years earlier. That was despite Republicans winning all statewide executive offices on the same ballot, and was one of ten Democratic-held Senate seats up for election in a state won by Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election. Renacci conceded defeat on November 7, 2018.
Article
2018 United States Senate election in Ohio
The 2018 United States Senate election in Ohio took place on November 6, 2018. The candidate filing deadline was February 7, 2018; the primary election was held on May 8, 2018. Incumbent Senator Sherrod Brown—the only remaining elected Democratic statewide officeholder in Ohio at the time of the election—won his bid for a third term, defeating Republican U.S. Representative Jim Renacci by a 6.84% margin in the general election, larger than the 6% margin in the election six years earlier. That was despite Republicans winning all statewide executive offices on the same ballot, and was one of ten Democratic-held Senate seats up for election in a state won by Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election. Renacci conceded defeat on November 7, 2018.
With Republican Mike DeWine winning the concurrent gubernatorial election, this was the first time since 1974 that Ohio simultaneously voted for a gubernatorial nominee and a U.S. Senate nominee of opposite parties. As of 2026, this is the last time the Democratic Party won a partisan statewide race in Ohio.
Democratic primary
Nominee
• Sherrod Brown, incumbent U.S. senator
Results
<table><thead><tr><th>Party</th><th>Candidate</th><th>Votes</th><th>%</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td></td><td>Democratic</td><td>Sherrod Brown (incumbent)</td><td>613,373</td><td>100.00%</td></tr><tr><td>Total votes</td><td>613,373</td><td>100.00%</td></tr></tbody></table>
Republican primary
Nominee
• Jim Renacci, U.S. representative
Eliminated in primary
• Melissa Ackison, businesswoman • Don Elijah Eckhart, candidate for the Republican nomination in (/wiki/UnitedStatesSenateelectioninOhio,2016) • Mike Gibbons, investment banker (founder of Brown Gibbons Lang & Company) • Dennis Jones • Dan Kiley
Withdrawn
• Josh Mandel, Ohio State Treasurer and nominee for the U.S. Senate in (/wiki/UnitedStatesSenateelectioninOhio,2012)
Declined
• Ken Blackwell, former mayor of Cincinnati, former Ohio State Treasurer, and former Ohio Secretary of State • Rick Jones, Butler County sheriff • John Kasich, governor of Ohio, former U.S. representative • Mary Taylor, lieutenant governor of Ohio (ran for governor) • Pat Tiberi, U.S. representative • Jim Tressel, president of Youngstown State University and former Ohio State football coach • JD Vance, author and venture capitalist
Polling
<table><thead><tr><th>Poll source</th><th>Date(s) administered</th><th>Sample size</th><th>Margin of error</th><th>Melissa Ackison</th><th>Don Eckhart</th><th>Mike Gibbons</th><th>Dan Kiley</th><th>Jim Renacci</th><th>Undecided</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Baldwin Wallace University</td><td>April 24 – May 2, 2018</td><td>323</td><td>–</td><td>4%</td><td>1%</td><td>11%</td><td>4%</td><td>25%</td><td>55%</td></tr><tr><td>Fallon Research</td><td>April 4–7, 2018</td><td>502</td><td>± 4.4%</td><td>3%</td><td>2%</td><td>7%</td><td>1%</td><td>21%</td><td>65%</td></tr><tr><td>OnMessage (R-Renacci)</td><td>March 20, 2018</td><td>–</td><td>–</td><td>3%</td><td>3%</td><td>8%</td><td>3%</td><td>36%</td><td>47%</td></tr><tr><td>SurveyUSA</td><td>March 16–20, 2018</td><td>541</td><td>± 5.7%</td><td>5%</td><td>5%</td><td>10%</td><td>1%</td><td>21%</td><td>58%</td></tr></tbody></table>
Results
Results by county: Renacci Gibbons Ackison
<table><thead><tr><th>Party</th><th>Candidate</th><th>Votes</th><th>%</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td></td><td>Republican</td><td>Jim Renacci</td><td>363,622</td><td>47.34%</td></tr><tr><td></td><td>Republican</td><td>Mike Gibbons</td><td>243,426</td><td>31.69%</td></tr><tr><td></td><td>Republican</td><td>Melissa Ackison</td><td>100,543</td><td>13.09%</td></tr><tr><td></td><td>Republican</td><td>Dan Kiley</td><td>30,684</td><td>3.99%</td></tr><tr><td></td><td>Republican</td><td>Don Eckhart</td><td>29,796</td><td>3.88%</td></tr><tr><td></td><td>Write-in</td><td>78</td><td>0.01%</td></tr><tr><td>Total votes</td><td>768,149</td><td>100.00%</td></tr></tbody></table>
General election
Candidates
• Sherrod Brown (D) • Stephen Faris (I, write-in) • Philena Irene Farley (G, write-in) • Bruce Jaynes (L, write-in) • Jim Renacci (R)
Debates
• Complete video of debate, October 14, 2018 • Complete video of debate, October 20, 2018 • Complete video of debate, October 26, 2018
Predictions
<table><thead><tr><th>Source</th><th>Ranking</th><th>As of</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>The Cook Political Report</td><td>Likely D</td><td>October 26, 2018</td></tr><tr><td>Inside Elections</td><td>Safe D</td><td>November 1, 2018</td></tr><tr><td>Sabato's Crystal Ball</td><td>Likely D</td><td>November 5, 2018</td></tr><tr><td>Fox News</td><td>Likely D</td><td>November 5, 2018</td></tr><tr><td>CNN</td><td>Likely D</td><td>November 5, 2018</td></tr><tr><td>RealClearPolitics</td><td>Lean D</td><td>November 5, 2018</td></tr><tr><td>FiveThirtyEight</td><td>Safe D</td><td>November 6, 2018</td></tr></tbody></table>
Polling
<table><thead><tr><th>Poll source</th><th>Date(s) administered</th><th>Sample size</th><th>Margin of error</th><th>Sherrod Brown (D)</th><th>Jim Renacci (R)</th><th>Other</th><th>Undecided</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Change Research</td><td>November 2–4, 2018</td><td>923</td><td>–</td><td>53%</td><td>43%</td><td>–</td><td>–</td></tr><tr><td>Research Co.</td><td>November 1–3, 2018</td><td>450</td><td>± 4.6%</td><td>53%</td><td>39%</td><td>–</td><td>8%</td></tr><tr><td>Cygnal (R)</td><td>October 30–31, 2018</td><td>503</td><td>± 4.4%</td><td>52%</td><td>42%</td><td>–</td><td>6%</td></tr><tr><td>Gravis Marketing</td><td>October 29–30, 2018</td><td>789</td><td>± 3.5%</td><td>46%</td><td>37%</td><td>–</td><td>17%</td></tr><tr><td>Emerson College</td><td>October 26–28, 2018</td><td>566</td><td>± 4.3%</td><td>49%</td><td>43%</td><td>2%</td><td>6%</td></tr><tr><td>Baldwin Wallace University</td><td>October 19–27, 2018</td><td>1,051</td><td>± 3.8%</td><td>51%</td><td>32%</td><td>–</td><td>17%</td></tr><tr><td>Suffolk University</td><td>October 4–8, 2018</td><td>500</td><td>± 4.4%</td><td>54%</td><td>36%</td><td>0%</td><td>10%</td></tr><tr><td>Baldwin Wallace University</td><td>September 8 – October 8, 2018</td><td>1,017</td><td>± 3.5%</td><td>50%</td><td>33%</td><td>–</td><td>18%</td></tr><tr><td>University of Akron</td><td>September 10 – October 4, 2018</td><td>1,000</td><td>± 3.0%</td><td>43%</td><td>31%</td><td>–</td><td>26%</td></tr><tr><td>Ipsos</td><td>September 13–21, 2018</td><td>1,074</td><td>± 3.0%</td><td>50%</td><td>39%</td><td>2%</td><td>9%</td></tr><tr><td>Triton Polling & Research (R)</td><td>September 18–20, 2018</td><td>1,003</td><td>± 3.1%</td><td>53%</td><td>42%</td><td>–</td><td>5%</td></tr><tr><td>NBC News/Marist</td><td>September 16–20, 2018</td><td>564 LV</td><td>± 5.0%</td><td>49%</td><td>35%</td><td>7%</td><td>8%</td></tr><tr><td>52%</td><td>39%</td><td>1%</td><td>7%</td></tr><tr><td>796 RV</td><td>± 4.2%</td><td>49%</td><td>33%</td><td>10%</td><td>9%</td></tr><tr><td>52%</td><td>39%</td><td>1%</td><td>8%</td></tr><tr><td>Baldwin Wallace University</td><td>September 5–15, 2018</td><td>1,048</td><td>± 3.6%</td><td>49%</td><td>32%</td><td>–</td><td>19%</td></tr><tr><td>Morning Consult</td><td>September 2–11, 2018</td><td>1,592</td><td>± 2.0%</td><td>47%</td><td>31%</td><td>–</td><td>22%</td></tr><tr><td>Change Research (D-Innovation Ohio)</td><td>August 31 – September 4, 2018</td><td>822</td><td>± 3.0%</td><td>46%</td><td>42%</td><td>–</td><td>12%</td></tr><tr><td>TRZ Communications (R-WTPC)</td><td>June 30 – July 10, 2018</td><td>1,485</td><td>± 3.0%</td><td>45%</td><td>41%</td><td>–</td><td>14%</td></tr><tr><td>SurveyMonkey/Axios</td><td>June 11 – July 2, 2018</td><td>951</td><td>± 5.0%</td><td>52%</td><td>44%</td><td>–</td><td>4%</td></tr><tr><td>NBC News/Marist</td><td>June 17–22, 2018</td><td>778</td><td>± 4.4%</td><td>51%</td><td>38%</td><td>1%</td><td>10%</td></tr><tr><td>Quinnipiac University</td><td>June 7–12, 2018</td><td>1,082</td><td>± 3.7%</td><td>51%</td><td>34%</td><td>1%</td><td>12%</td></tr><tr><td>Suffolk University</td><td>June 6–11, 2018</td><td>500</td><td>± 4.4%</td><td>53%</td><td>37%</td><td>2%</td><td>8%</td></tr><tr><td>America First Action (R)</td><td>May 29–31, 2018</td><td>400</td><td>± 4.9%</td><td>45%</td><td>41%</td><td>–</td><td>10%</td></tr><tr><td>Fallon Research</td><td>May 21–25, 2018</td><td>800</td><td>± 3.5%</td><td>48%</td><td>34%</td><td>3%</td><td>15%</td></tr><tr><td>Grassroots Targeting (R-Ohio First)</td><td>April 2018</td><td>1,266</td><td>–</td><td>41%</td><td>40%</td><td>–</td><td>19%</td></tr><tr><td>SurveyUSA</td><td>March 16–20, 2018</td><td>1,408</td><td>± 3.5%</td><td>52%</td><td>38%</td><td>–</td><td>11%</td></tr><tr><td>Baldwin Wallace University</td><td>February 28 – March 9, 2018</td><td>1,011</td><td>± 3.0%</td><td>41%</td><td>29%</td><td>–</td><td>30%</td></tr><tr><td>SurveyMonkey/Axios</td><td>February 12 – March 5, 2018</td><td>1,995</td><td>± 3.6%</td><td>50%</td><td>45%</td><td>–</td><td>5%</td></tr><tr><td>Grassroots Targeting (R-Ohio First)</td><td>February 2018</td><td>–</td><td>–</td><td>43%</td><td>38%</td><td>–</td><td>19%</td></tr></tbody></table>
Results
Township results
State House district results
<table><thead><tr><th>Party</th><th>Candidate</th><th>Votes</th><th>%</th><th>±%</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td></td><td>Democratic</td><td>Sherrod Brown (incumbent)</td><td>2,358,508</td><td>53.40%</td><td>+2.70%</td></tr><tr><td></td><td>Republican</td><td>Jim Renacci</td><td>2,057,559</td><td>46.58%</td><td>+1.88%</td></tr><tr><td></td><td>Write-in</td><td>1,017</td><td>0.02%</td><td>N/A</td></tr><tr><td>Total votes</td><td>4,417,084</td><td>100.00%</td><td>N/A</td></tr><tr><td></td><td>Democratic hold</td></tr></tbody></table>
By county
<table><thead><tr><th>County</th><th>Sherrod Brown Democratic</th><th>Jim Renacci Republican</th><th>Write In Other parties</th><th>Margin</th><th>Total votes cast</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>#</td><td>%</td><td>#</td><td>%</td><td>#</td><td>%</td><td>#</td><td>%</td></tr><tr><td>Adams</td><td>2,635</td><td>30.49%</td><td>6,000</td><td>69.42%</td><td>8</td><td>0.09%</td><td>-3,365</td><td>-38.93%</td><td>8,643</td></tr><tr><td>Allen</td><td>14,429</td><td>40.16%</td><td>21,492</td><td>59.82%</td><td>8</td><td>0.02%</td><td>-7,063</td><td>-19.66%</td><td>35,929</td></tr><tr><td>Ashland</td><td>6,472</td><td>34.94%</td><td>12,048</td><td>65.04%</td><td>3</td><td>0.02%</td><td>-5,576</td><td>-30.10%</td><td>18,523</td></tr><tr><td>Ashtabula</td><td>16,473</td><td>51.05%</td><td>15,794</td><td>48.95%</td><td>0</td><td>0.00%</td><td>679</td><td>2.10%</td><td>32,267</td></tr><tr><td>Athens</td><td>15,472</td><td>68.45%</td><td>7,126</td><td>31.53%</td><td>4</td><td>0.02%</td><td>8,346</td><td>36.92%</td><td>22,602</td></tr><tr><td>Auglaize</td><td>5,557</td><td>29.00%</td><td>13,603</td><td>70.99%</td><td>1</td><td>0.01%</td><td>-8,046</td><td>-41.99%</td><td>19,161</td></tr><tr><td>Belmont</td><td>11,603</td><td>46.84%</td><td>13,159</td><td>53.13%</td><td>7</td><td>0.03%</td><td>-1,556</td><td>-6.29%</td><td>24,769</td></tr><tr><td>Brown</td><td>4,651</td><td>31.35%</td><td>10,184</td><td>68.63%</td><td>3</td><td>0.02%</td><td>-5,533</td><td>-37.28%</td><td>14,838</td></tr><tr><td>Butler</td><td>55,604</td><td>40.96%</td><td>80,106</td><td>59.02%</td><td>26</td><td>0.02%</td><td>-24,502</td><td>-18.06%</td><td>135,736</td></tr><tr><td>Carroll</td><td>3,788</td><td>36.80%</td><td>6,503</td><td>63.18%</td><td>2</td><td>0.02%</td><td>-2,715</td><td>-26.38%</td><td>10,293</td></tr><tr><td>Champaign</td><td>5,443</td><td>36.74%</td><td>9,372</td><td>63.26%</td><td>0</td><td>0.00%</td><td>-3,929</td><td>-26.52%</td><td>14,815</td></tr><tr><td>Clark</td><td>23,525</td><td>49.03%</td><td>24,446</td><td>50.95%</td><td>9</td><td>0.02%</td><td>-921</td><td>-1.92%</td><td>47,980</td></tr><tr><td>Clermont</td><td>27,803</td><td>34.87%</td><td>51,918</td><td>65.12%</td><td>9</td><td>0.01%</td><td>-24,115</td><td>-30.25%</td><td>79,730</td></tr><tr><td>Clinton</td><td>4,645</td><td>30.96%</td><td>10,356</td><td>69.03%</td><td>1</td><td>0.01%</td><td>-5,711</td><td>-38.07%</td><td>15,002</td></tr><tr><td>Columbiana</td><td>13,995</td><td>39.04%</td><td>21,849</td><td>60.95%</td><td>3</td><td>0.01%</td><td>-7,854</td><td>-21.91%</td><td>35,847</td></tr><tr><td>Coshocton</td><td>4,680</td><td>39.51%</td><td>7,163</td><td>60.48%</td><td>1</td><td>0.01%</td><td>-2,483</td><td>-20.97%</td><td>11,844</td></tr><tr><td>Crawford</td><td>5,345</td><td>36.87%</td><td>9,149</td><td>63.11%</td><td>2</td><td>0.01%</td><td>-3,804</td><td>-26.24%</td><td>14,496</td></tr><tr><td>Cuyahoga</td><td>350,362</td><td>72.48%</td><td>132,948</td><td>27.50%</td><td>54</td><td>0.01%</td><td>217,414</td><td>44.98%</td><td>483,364</td></tr><tr><td>Darke</td><td>5,569</td><td>28.57%</td><td>13,921</td><td>71.42%</td><td>2</td><td>0.01%</td><td>-8,352</td><td>-42.85%</td><td>19,492</td></tr><tr><td>Defiance</td><td>5,812</td><td>42.05%</td><td>8,003</td><td>57.91%</td><td>5</td><td>0.04%</td><td>-2,191</td><td>-15.86%</td><td>13,820</td></tr><tr><td>Delaware</td><td>44,743</td><td>47.43%</td><td>49,587</td><td>52.56%</td><td>6</td><td>0.01%</td><td>-4,844</td><td>-5.13%</td><td>94,336</td></tr><tr><td>Erie</td><td>16,659</td><td>54.98%</td><td>13,633</td><td>45.00%</td><td>6</td><td>0.02%</td><td>3,026</td><td>9.98%</td><td>30,298</td></tr><tr><td>Fairfield</td><td>26,518</td><td>44.76%</td><td>32,707</td><td>55.21%</td><td>21</td><td>0.04%</td><td>-6,189</td><td>-10.45%</td><td>59,246</td></tr><tr><td>Fayette</td><td>2,914</td><td>34.36%</td><td>5,566</td><td>65.63%</td><td>1</td><td>0.01%</td><td>-2,652</td><td>-31.27%</td><td>8,481</td></tr><tr><td>Franklin</td><td>332,825</td><td>68.69%</td><td>151,588</td><td>31.29%</td><td>96</td><td>0.02%</td><td>181,237</td><td>37.40%</td><td>484,509</td></tr><tr><td>Fulton</td><td>6,707</td><td>41.49%</td><td>9,454</td><td>58.49%</td><td>3</td><td>0.02%</td><td>-2,747</td><td>-17.00%</td><td>16,164</td></tr><tr><td>Gallia</td><td>3,355</td><td>34.84%</td><td>6,275</td><td>65.16%</td><td>0</td><td>0.00%</td><td>-2,920</td><td>-30.32%</td><td>9,630</td></tr><tr><td>Geauga</td><td>19,104</td><td>44.94%</td><td>23,397</td><td>55.04%</td><td>6</td><td>0.01%</td><td>-4,293</td><td>-10.10%</td><td>42,507</td></tr><tr><td>Greene</td><td>30,243</td><td>44.23%</td><td>38,102</td><td>55.72%</td><td>32</td><td>0.05%</td><td>-7,859</td><td>-11.49%</td><td>68,377</td></tr><tr><td>Guernsey</td><td>5,014</td><td>39.97%</td><td>7,529</td><td>60.02%</td><td>2</td><td>0.02%</td><td>-2,515</td><td>-20.05%</td><td>12,545</td></tr><tr><td>Hamilton</td><td>200,404</td><td>59.34%</td><td>137,116</td><td>40.60%</td><td>193</td><td>0.06%</td><td>63,288</td><td>18.74%</td><td>337,713</td></tr><tr><td>Hancock</td><td>10,929</td><td>38.95%</td><td>17,123</td><td>61.02%</td><td>9</td><td>0.03%</td><td>-6,194</td><td>-22.07%</td><td>28,061</td></tr><tr><td>Hardin</td><td>3,497</td><td>37.19%</td><td>5,899</td><td>62.74%</td><td>6</td><td>0.06%</td><td>-2,402</td><td>-25.55%</td><td>9,402</td></tr><tr><td>Harrison</td><td>2,480</td><td>42.70%</td><td>3,327</td><td>57.28%</td><td>1</td><td>0.02%</td><td>-847</td><td>-14.58%</td><td>5,808</td></tr><tr><td>Henry</td><td>4,468</td><td>42.24%</td><td>6,109</td><td>57.76%</td><td>0</td><td>0.00%</td><td>-1,641</td><td>-15.52%</td><td>10,577</td></tr><tr><td>Highland</td><td>3,939</td><td>29.25%</td><td>9,526</td><td>70.75%</td><td>0</td><td>0.00%</td><td>-5,587</td><td>-41.50%</td><td>13,465</td></tr><tr><td>Hocking</td><td>4,408</td><td>44.60%</td><td>5,474</td><td>55.39%</td><td>1</td><td>0.01%</td><td>-1,066</td><td>-10.79%</td><td>9,883</td></tr><tr><td>Holmes</td><td>2,059</td><td>23.35%</td><td>6,755</td><td>76.61%</td><td>3</td><td>0.03%</td><td>-4,696</td><td>-53.26%</td><td>8,817</td></tr><tr><td>Huron</td><td>8,274</td><td>44.02%</td><td>10,522</td><td>55.98%</td><td>0</td><td>0.00%</td><td>-2,248</td><td>-11.96%</td><td>18,796</td></tr><tr><td>Jackson</td><td>3,815</td><td>37.88%</td><td>6,255</td><td>62.12%</td><td>0</td><td>0.00%</td><td>-2,440</td><td>-24.24%</td><td>10,070</td></tr><tr><td>Jefferson</td><td>11,376</td><td>46.32%</td><td>13,180</td><td>53.66%</td><td>6</td><td>0.02%</td><td>-1,804</td><td>-7.34%</td><td>24,562</td></tr><tr><td>Knox</td><td>8,413</td><td>37.05%</td><td>14,290</td><td>62.93%</td><td>4</td><td>0.02%</td><td>-5,877</td><td>-25.88%</td><td>22,707</td></tr><tr><td>Lake</td><td>49,276</td><td>52.08%</td><td>45,313</td><td>47.90%</td><td>18</td><td>0.02%</td><td>3,963</td><td>4.18%</td><td>94,607</td></tr><tr><td>Lawrence</td><td>8,064</td><td>39.61%</td><td>12,292</td><td>60.37%</td><td>4</td><td>0.02%</td><td>-4,228</td><td>-20.76%</td><td>20,360</td></tr><tr><td>Licking</td><td>29,469</td><td>42.94%</td><td>39,142</td><td>57.04%</td><td>11</td><td>0.02%</td><td>-9,673</td><td>-14.10%</td><td>68,622</td></tr><tr><td>Logan</td><td>5,235</td><td>31.77%</td><td>11,243</td><td>68.23%</td><td>1</td><td>0.01%</td><td>-6,008</td><td>-36.46%</td><td>16,479</td></tr><tr><td>Lorain</td><td>67,452</td><td>59.23%</td><td>46,403</td><td>40.75%</td><td>21</td><td>0.02%</td><td>21,049</td><td>18.48%</td><td>113,876</td></tr><tr><td>Lucas</td><td>100,807</td><td>66.74%</td><td>50,223</td><td>33.25%</td><td>18</td><td>0.01%</td><td>50,584</td><td>33.49%</td><td>151,048</td></tr><tr><td>Madison</td><td>5,116</td><td>37.25%</td><td>8,617</td><td>62.74%</td><td>1</td><td>0.01%</td><td>-3,501</td><td>-25.49%</td><td>13,734</td></tr><tr><td>Mahoning</td><td>54,594</td><td>60.49%</td><td>35,654</td><td>39.50%</td><td>8</td><td>0.01%</td><td>18,940</td><td>20.99%</td><td>90,256</td></tr><tr><td>Marion</td><td>8,677</td><td>42.23%</td><td>11,850</td><td>57.68%</td><td>19</td><td>0.09%</td><td>-3,173</td><td>-15.45%</td><td>20,546</td></tr><tr><td>Medina</td><td>34,493</td><td>46.00%</td><td>40,478</td><td>53.98%</td><td>15</td><td>0.02%</td><td>-5,985</td><td>-7.98%</td><td>74,986</td></tr><tr><td>Meigs</td><td>2,898</td><td>37.04%</td><td>4,926</td><td>62.95%</td><td>1</td><td>0.01%</td><td>-2,028</td><td>-25.91%</td><td>7,825</td></tr><tr><td>Mercer</td><td>4,504</td><td>26.27%</td><td>12,637</td><td>73.72%</td><td>2</td><td>0.01%</td><td>-8,133</td><td>-47.45%</td><td>17,143</td></tr><tr><td>Miami</td><td>14,649</td><td>35.33%</td><td>26,815</td><td>64.66%</td><td>5</td><td>0.01%</td><td>-12,166</td><td>-29.33%</td><td>41,469</td></tr><tr><td>Monroe</td><td>2,518</td><td>47.66%</td><td>2,765</td><td>52.34%</td><td>0</td><td>0.00%</td><td>-247</td><td>-4.68%</td><td>5,283</td></tr><tr><td>Montgomery</td><td>115,200</td><td>56.06%</td><td>90,242</td><td>43.92%</td><td>40</td><td>0.02%</td><td>24,958</td><td>12.14%</td><td>205,482</td></tr><tr><td>Morgan</td><td>2,115</td><td>42.04%</td><td>2,916</td><td>57.96%</td><td>0</td><td>0.00%</td><td>-801</td><td>-15.92%</td><td>5,031</td></tr><tr><td>Morrow</td><td>4,361</td><td>33.23%</td><td>8,761</td><td>66.76%</td><td>1</td><td>0.01%</td><td>-4,400</td><td>-33.53%</td><td>13,123</td></tr><tr><td>Muskingum</td><td>12,395</td><td>42.88%</td><td>16,504</td><td>57.10%</td><td>4</td><td>0.01%</td><td>-4,109</td><td>-14.22%</td><td>28,903</td></tr><tr><td>Noble</td><td>1,709</td><td>36.62%</td><td>2,958</td><td>63.38%</td><td>0</td><td>0.00%</td><td>-1,249</td><td>-26.76%</td><td>4,667</td></tr><tr><td>Ottawa</td><td>9,477</td><td>51.85%</td><td>8,799</td><td>48.14%</td><td>3</td><td>0.02%</td><td>678</td><td>3.71%</td><td>18,279</td></tr><tr><td>Paulding</td><td>2,232</td><td>32.40%</td><td>4,656</td><td>67.59%</td><td>1</td><td>0.01%</td><td>-2,424</td><td>-35.19%</td><td>6,889</td></tr><tr><td>Perry</td><td>4,599</td><td>40.01%</td><td>6,895</td><td>59.98%</td><td>1</td><td>0.01%</td><td>-2,296</td><td>-19.97%</td><td>11,495</td></tr><tr><td>Pickaway</td><td>7,481</td><td>37.81%</td><td>12,302</td><td>62.18%</td><td>2</td><td>0.01%</td><td>-4,821</td><td>-24.37%</td><td>19,785</td></tr><tr><td>Pike</td><td>3,900</td><td>44.33%</td><td>4,897</td><td>55.67%</td><td>0</td><td>0.00%</td><td>-997</td><td>-11.34%</td><td>8,797</td></tr><tr><td>Portage</td><td>32,303</td><td>53.34%</td><td>28,231</td><td>46.62%</td><td>22</td><td>0.04%</td><td>4,072</td><td>6.72%</td><td>60,556</td></tr><tr><td>Preble</td><td>4,942</td><td>31.31%</td><td>10,838</td><td>68.66%</td><td>4</td><td>0.03%</td><td>-5,896</td><td>-37.35%</td><td>15,784</td></tr><tr><td>Putnam</td><td>4,369</td><td>29.56%</td><td>10,408</td><td>70.41%</td><td>4</td><td>0.03%</td><td>-6,039</td><td>-40.85%</td><td>14,781</td></tr><tr><td>Richland</td><td>17,984</td><td>40.41%</td><td>26,499</td><td>59.55%</td><td>16</td><td>0.04%</td><td>-8,515</td><td>-19.14%</td><td>44,499</td></tr><tr><td>Ross</td><td>10,602</td><td>45.42%</td><td>12,738</td><td>54.57%</td><td>2</td><td>0.01%</td><td>-2,136</td><td>-9.15%</td><td>23,342</td></tr><tr><td>Sandusky</td><td>10,987</td><td>49.65%</td><td>11,141</td><td>50.34%</td><td>2</td><td>0.01%</td><td>-154</td><td>-0.69%</td><td>22,130</td></tr><tr><td>Scioto</td><td>10,627</td><td>44.95%</td><td>13,014</td><td>55.05%</td><td>0</td><td>0.00%</td><td>-2,387</td><td>-10.10%</td><td>23,641</td></tr><tr><td>Seneca</td><td>8,741</td><td>46.76%</td><td>9,945</td><td>53.20%</td><td>6</td><td>0.03%</td><td>-1,204</td><td>-6.44%</td><td>18,692</td></tr><tr><td>Shelby</td><td>5,183</td><td>27.84%</td><td>13,433</td><td>72.16%</td><td>0</td><td>0.00%</td><td>-8,250</td><td>-44.32%</td><td>18,616</td></tr><tr><td>Stark</td><td>68,526</td><td>49.24%</td><td>70,588</td><td>50.72%</td><td>49</td><td>0.04%</td><td>-2,062</td><td>-1.48%</td><td>139,163</td></tr><tr><td>Summit</td><td>129,479</td><td>60.86%</td><td>83,149</td><td>39.08%</td><td>117</td><td>0.05%</td><td>46,330</td><td>21.78%</td><td>212,745</td></tr><tr><td>Trumbull</td><td>43,381</td><td>57.93%</td><td>31,482</td><td>42.04%</td><td>19</td><td>0.03%</td><td>11,899</td><td>15.89%</td><td>74,882</td></tr><tr><td>Tuscarawas</td><td>14,088</td><td>43.57%</td><td>18,244</td><td>56.42%</td><td>3</td><td>0.01%</td><td>-4,156</td><td>-12.85%</td><td>32,335</td></tr><tr><td>Union</td><td>8,964</td><td>37.81%</td><td>14,747</td><td>62.19%</td><td>0</td><td>0.00%</td><td>-5,783</td><td>-24.38%</td><td>23,711</td></tr><tr><td>Van Wert</td><td>3,020</td><td>28.12%</td><td>7,721</td><td>71.88%</td><td>0</td><td>0.00%</td><td>-4,701</td><td>-43.76%</td><td>10,741</td></tr><tr><td>Vinton</td><td>1,641</td><td>39.95%</td><td>2,467</td><td>60.05%</td><td>0</td><td>0.00%</td><td>-826</td><td>-20.10%</td><td>4,108</td></tr><tr><td>Warren</td><td>35,815</td><td>35.96%</td><td>63,757</td><td>64.02%</td><td>20</td><td>0.02%</td><td>-27,942</td><td>-28.06%</td><td>99,592</td></tr><tr><td>Washington</td><td>9,259</td><td>39.96%</td><td>13,908</td><td>60.03%</td><td>3</td><td>0.01%</td><td>-4,649</td><td>-20.07%</td><td>23,170</td></tr><tr><td>Wayne</td><td>15,495</td><td>38.90%</td><td>24,324</td><td>61.07%</td><td>11</td><td>0.03%</td><td>-8,829</td><td>-22.17%</td><td>39,830</td></tr><tr><td>Williams</td><td>5,272</td><td>39.94%</td><td>7,927</td><td>60.05%</td><td>1</td><td>0.01%</td><td>-2,655</td><td>-20.11%</td><td>13,200</td></tr><tr><td>Wood</td><td>27,540</td><td>55.45%</td><td>22,105</td><td>44.51%</td><td>18</td><td>0.04%</td><td>5,435</td><td>10.94%</td><td>49,663</td></tr><tr><td>Wyandot</td><td>3,062</td><td>37.74%</td><td>5,051</td><td>62.26%</td><td>0</td><td>0.00%</td><td>-1,989</td><td>-24.52%</td><td>8,113</td></tr><tr><td>Totals</td><td>2,358,508</td><td>53.40%</td><td>2,057,559</td><td>46.58%</td><td>1,017</td><td>0.02%</td><td>300,949</td><td>6.82%</td><td>4,417,084</td></tr></tbody></table>
Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican
• Pike (largest city: Waverly) • Ross (largest city: Chillicothe) • Scioto (largest city: Portsmouth) • Belmont (largest city: Martins Ferry) • Jefferson (largest city: Steubenville) • Sandusky (largest city: Fremont) • Clark (largest municipality: Springfield) • Stark (largest city: Canton) • Monroe (largest city: Woodsfield)
By congressional district
Brown won nine of 16 congressional districts, including five that elected Republicans to the House.
<table><thead><tr><th>District</th><th>Brown</th><th>Renacci</th><th>Representative</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>1st</td><td>51%</td><td>49%</td><td>Steve Chabot</td></tr><tr><td>2nd</td><td>48%</td><td>52%</td><td>Brad Wenstrup</td></tr><tr><td>3rd</td><td>75%</td><td>25%</td><td>Joyce Beatty</td></tr><tr><td>4th</td><td>43%</td><td>57%</td><td>Jim Jordan</td></tr><tr><td>5th</td><td>47%</td><td>53%</td><td>Bob Latta</td></tr><tr><td>6th</td><td>41%</td><td>59%</td><td>Bill Johnson</td></tr><tr><td>7th</td><td>44%</td><td>56%</td><td>Bob Gibbs</td></tr><tr><td>8th</td><td>39%</td><td>61%</td><td>Warren Davidson</td></tr><tr><td>9th</td><td>68%</td><td>32%</td><td>Marcy Kaptur</td></tr><tr><td>10th</td><td>53%</td><td>47%</td><td>Mike Turner</td></tr><tr><td>11th</td><td>84%</td><td>16%</td><td>Marcia Fudge</td></tr><tr><td>12th</td><td>51%</td><td>49%</td><td>Troy Balderson</td></tr><tr><td>13th</td><td>62%</td><td>38%</td><td>Tim Ryan</td></tr><tr><td>14th</td><td>53%</td><td>47%</td><td>Dave Joyce</td></tr><tr><td>15th</td><td>51%</td><td>49%</td><td>Steve Stivers</td></tr><tr><td>16th</td><td>49.6%</td><td>50.4%</td><td>Jim Renacci (115th Congress)</td></tr><tr><td>Anthony Gonzalez (116th Congress)</td></tr></tbody></table>
Analysis
2018 United States Senate election in Ohio
The election was not particularly close, with Brown winning by 6.82%. Brown was the only Democrat who won statewide in Ohio in this election cycle. He was able to win re-election by winning back most of the Rust Belt, which swung Republican in 2016. Brown did well in Portage County, Summit County, and Trumbull County, all very heavily pro-union counties. Brown also did well in the rust belt from Lucas County, home of Toledo, all the way to Cuyahoga County, home of Cleveland. Brown also trounced Renacci in Franklin County and Hamilton County, home of Columbus and Cincinnati respectively; the latter, Hamilton County, was once considered a Republican stronghold. Renacci, while performing well in most rural areas of the state, underperformed Mike DeWine, the Republican Party's nominee and eventual winner for governor.
Regardless, Renacci somewhat overperformed in comparison to most polling before the election, while Brown lost in several counties he had won in his previous Senate races. In particular, Brown lost ground in Appalachia compared to his 2012 run, losing the Appalachian counties of Jefferson, Belmont, Monroe, Ross, Pike, and Scioto counties. This was in line with the region's shift towards the Republican Party, as evident by Obama's inability to win these counties in his 2012 bid for the presidency of the United States, Strickland's inability to win these counties in his 2016 bid for United States Senate (despite having previously represented Appalachia in the United States House of Representatives), and Clinton's underperformance in Appalachia in her 2016 bid for the presidency of the United States relative to previous Democrats. Exit polls also show Brown had a very strong showing among minority and women voters, which was key to his victory. Brown was sworn in for a third term as the senior senator from Ohio on January 3, 2019.