The midterm elections are quickly approaching, with Election Day Nov. 3. Multiple high-stakes elections are occurring across the country, two of which are in Ohio.
Eyes are focused on the Senate race between incumbent Sen. Jon Husted and former Senator Sherrod Brown, as well as the gubernatorial race between businessman Vivek Ramaswamy and Dr. Amy Acton.
Jay Edwards, candidate for Ohio treasurer and chairman of the Athens County Republican Party, expressed support for Ramaswamy, who also received President Donald Trump’s endorsement.
“He's got a lot of really, really good ideas,” Edwards said. “I think for the state, he's looking at it like a business guy instead of a politician, which I think is good. And you know he's running against Amy Acton, somebody that shut down the state.”
Acton previously served as the director of the Ohio Department of Health when the COVID-19 pandemic began.
Many Republicans, including her opponent, have attacked Acton on decisions she made during that time, including closing schools and businesses, restricting sporting events and pausing voting in the 2020 primary election, according to the Associated Press.
Lauren Dikis, chair of the Athens County Democratic Party, stated that Acton’s commitment to public education is exciting, drawing a contrast with Ramaswamy, who received backlash for comments he made regarding how Ohio’s public universities should be consolidated, according to a previous report by The Post.
The latest poll by Fox News from Aug. 6-10 has Ramaswamy leading Acton by two points.
The Senate race in Ohio has also garnered national attention, as it remains one of the few chances Democrats have of gaining a majority in the chamber.
Brown is attempting to make his way back to the Senate after losing his reelection bid in 2024 to Republican businessman Bernie Moreno. Brown is now facing Husted, who was appointed to fill Vice President JD Vance’s seat in 2025.
Dikis explained why she supports Brown and unpacked her concerns with Husted.
“I think that Sherrod Brown was a great senator and will be a great senator again,” Dikis said. “Jon Husted has continued to prove, from the FirstEnergy scandal to his support of data centers, that he's just out of touch with Ohioans.”
FirstEnergy, an energy company located in Akron, is accused of bribing the former chair of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio to push forward state legislation that helped bail out FirstEnergy.
While Husted has not been accused of any wrongdoing, he has been implicated in the scandal due to his position as Lieutenant Governor at the time, according to the Associated Press.
The construction of data centers has been a concern in both political parties, despite Trump’s continued support for the infrastructure, according to the AP. During his campaign, Brown has consistently pointed to Husted's support of data centers, even calling him the “face of data centers in Ohio.”
The National Republican Senatorial Committee sent a memo in August arguing Husted’s support of data centers could cost him the election, according to the AP.
Conversely, Edwards praised Husted’s work during his time as Ohio Lieutenant Governor, stating Husted enriched economic development, whereas Brown increased the cost of living.
“He's been in politics for 52 years, and he got beat two years ago for the same seat,” Edwards said. “And down here in Southeast Ohio, whenever I get my electric bill and my electric rate bill has gone up 30% every time I open it, I think of Sherrod Brown.”
The latest poll by Fox News from Aug. 6 through Aug. 10 has Brown leading Husted by eight points.
Kale House, president of Ohio University College Democrats and a junior studying marketing and entrepreneurship, began his political activism in 2020 during the Black Lives Matter movement.
The OUCD set up a booth Monday, Aug. 24, where Democratic students voiced support for affordability, sustainability and women's rights. Students opposed Immigration and Customs Enforcement, data center infrastructure and Trump's foreign policy.
House plans to orchestrate more opportunities for students to engage in political conversation and register to vote.
“Vote where you rent, vote where you live,” House said. “There is so much untapped potential here in Athens; there's so many students who are unregistered to vote. We have a chance to really make a change here. So we're out here just trying to engage with students and push the message we have to win in November, and we have to vote.”
The deadline to register to vote in Ohio is Oct. 5. For more information regarding how to vote in Athens County, visit the Athens County Board of Elections website.
