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OHIO — Bowling Green State University released a poll that shows how Ohio voters feel about President Donald Trump, candidates in the 2026 governor race and certain topics.
In partnership with the Democracy and Public Policy Research Network, the web-based poll included 800 registered Ohio voters and ran from Feb. 14 to Feb. 21.
BGSU said the margin of error is +/- 4.0 percentage points and is weighted to 2024 presidential vote choice.
Here’s what the poll found:
Among Republican primary voters, Vivek Ramaswamy is the early favorite, the poll shows. Behind him is Attorney General Dave Yost, followed by Heather Hill. However, the poll notes the surveys were conducted prior to Trump’s endorsement.
The poll says Ramaswamy is more well known compared to the other candidates, as he has previously run for president and worked with the Trump administration previously.
Across the aisle, former Ohio Department of Health Director Amy Action is the only Democrat in the race so far. The poll asked voters about other prominent Democrats in the state, including Tim Ryan and former Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown. If they were involved in a three-way race hypothetically for governor, the majority of respondents said they’d vote for Brown. After Brown, it was Acton and then Ryan.
If it was a race hypothetically between Acton and Ryan, voters were statistically tied on the decision.
While Ohio just filled its open seat vacated by Vice President JD Vance with former Lt. Gov. Jon Husted, the spot will once again open next year.
A majority of respondents said they had no opinion of Husted. In head-to-head matchups in the poll, voters said they’d vote for Brown and Ryan over Husted.
Additionally, a majority of voters had no opinion about Husted’s replacement, former Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel. Tressel hasn’t ruled out running for office.
“Although early, Republicans appear to be in a strong position with all statewide offices and a Senate seat on the ballot in 2026. Midterm elections typically do not fare well for the party of the president and Democrats will need a lot of wind at their backs to be competitive given recent outcomes in the state,” said Robert Alexander, professor of political science at BGSU.
Despite the Buckeye State’s support for Trump in the past few elections, just 50% of voters in the poll said they approve of him, while 44% disapprove. That’s historically low for a honeymoon period, the poll noted.
However, his approval rating in Ohio is higher than the current national polling average of 46%.
As for whether voters are hopeful or not at all hopeful for his presidency, the numbers were about equal (38% to 34%).
When asked if voters regretted their vote choice in November, just 3% indicated they did. Three-quarters of those who did they did regret their vote had voted for Trump, and that group was younger, non-white and considered themselves to be an Independent, the poll shows.
“While Donald Trump has convincingly carried the Buckeye state three times, he is not having much of a traditional honeymoon with a bare majority of voters approving of the job he is doing in the Oval Office,” said Alexander.
The poll asked voters about some of the executive orders and policies Trump has made so far.
Here’s how many Ohio voters in the poll approved and disapproved of certain policies:
“We see varying degrees of support for Trump policies with Democrats and Republicans predictably lined up on opposite sides and Independents who show the most variation in what they do and don’t like about Trump’s Executive Orders. Partisanship is clearly determining how respondents view Trump’s policies,” said Alexander.
To view the full poll, click here.
