Sherrod Brown dominates GOP challenger with likely voters in Trump-won district: Poll

Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) is leading his challenger by double-digits in a district former President Donald Trump won in 2020.

A Noble Predictive Insights poll conducted for Inside Elections surveyed 435 likely voters in Ohio’s 9th Congressional District, with a margin of error of +/- 4.7%. The poll found that Brown led his Republican challenger, entrepreneur Bernie Moreno, by 13 points. Incumbent Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH) led her challenger, Rep. Derek Merrin (R-OH), by 10 points.

Brown also boasted about the consolidation of Democratic loyalties — 94% of his voters said they would also vote for Vice President Kamala Harris, while just 75% of Trump voters said they would also vote for Moreno. Eight percent of Trump voters said they would vote for Brown.

Brown, a centrist Democrat in a red-leaning state, has carved an image as a bipartisan figure. He was one of a few Senate Democrats to ask President Joe Biden to drop out of the presidential race. His request came after Moreno accused Brown of participating in a “political cover-up” of Biden’s mental decline.

Brown has thrown his lot in with Republicans on a number of matters to stave off his challenger, including on electric vehicles. In May, he joined a bipartisan effort to kill a key funding mechanism for the Biden administration’s EV plan.

Moreno, a major Trump ally, defeated the more established Ohio Sen. Matt Dolan in the Republican primary in March. He will face off against Brown in November.

The poll found more troubling results for Republicans as well — Harris and Trump were tied at 44%, though Harris had a slightly higher favorability than Trump.

Even more worrying for Republicans was the popularity of Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH). In a state where he is well known, Vance had a favorability rating of just 43%, compared to 48% unfavorable.

A major hope in enlisting Vance was that he would help Trump among white, blue-collar voters in states such as Ohio. The poll results show the duo still have some work to do to maintain control of the coveted group.