Ohio Senate Race Tops $500 Million in Ad Spend

The Ohio U.S. Senate race crossed the $500 million mark in advertising this week, according to data from AdImpact. The figure includes future reservations, making it one of the most expensive contests in the nation.

The spending surge follows a sharp rise in the cost of coverage for private citizens. Premiums for private health insurance in Ohio are expected to increase by more than 10%, per data from healthinsurance.org. This increase has become a central point of contention between the two main candidates.

Incumbent Republican Sen. Jon Husted is attacking former Sen. Sherrod Brown, who is seeking to reclaim his seat after losing re-election in 2024. An ad released in October by No Going Back PAC, a group supporting Husted, claims Brown has acted as a shill for big insurance companies. The ad cites a specific claim that Brown received $240,000 from these insurers in exchange for policy support, a figure for which the campaign says there is no evidence.

Brown is countering with his own financial allegations. In a video posted to his Facebook page in August, he accused Husted of accepting $700,000 from insurance companies that raised premiums. Brown stated that Husted voted nine times against measures designed to lower health insurance costs.

Marketplace data indicates the financial pressure on consumers is intensifying. The Health Policy Institute of Ohio reports that premiums for Affordable Care Act marketplace plans in the state jumped by an average of 18% this year. Enrollment dropped by 32.4% in February 2026 compared to the previous year, leaving more than 161,000 fewer Ohioans covered. This decline occurred after enhanced federal subsidies for the ACA expired at the end of 2025.

Brown argues that policy changes will worsen this trend. In a December interview, he predicted that 490,000 Ohioans will lose health care coverage over the next decade due to the end of ACA subsidies and Medicaid changes. He stated that the number of people who have already lost coverage is large enough to fill Ohio Stadium nearly five times.

Husted maintains that he is working to correct the trajectory established by Brown’s tenure. He said he is seeking bipartisan consensus to renew the premium tax credit while eliminating fraud. He pointed to the Working Families Tax Cuts Act, often referred to as the One Big Beautiful Bill, as a vehicle for cost savings. The legislation includes provisions requiring states to more frequently check Medicaid eligibility, a move Husted says will save billions of dollars in improper payments.

Prescription drug costs are also part of the debate. Brown has called for government negotiation of drug prices, similar to the process used at the Department of Veterans Affairs, to ensure Ohioans do not pay more than consumers in Canada. Husted has sponsored legislation to increase the number of prescription drugs available over the counter. He also noted that more than three million Ohioans are currently on Medicaid, a program where advocates say the recent bill could remove more than half a million people.