Ohio Senate Ad Spend Tops $500M

Ohio’s U.S. Senate contest has become one of the most expensive in American history. AdImpact, an ad tracking site, reported on Oct. 27 that spending in the race surpassed $500 million, a figure that includes future reservations. This milestone places the campaign in the top tier of national election costs.

The surge in advertising coincides with a sharp rise in health care costs for Ohio residents. Healthinsurance.org projects that premiums for private health insurance will increase by more than 10%. Incumbent Republican Sen. Jon Husted has targeted his Democratic opponent, Sherrod Brown, in a new ad from No Going Back PAC. The spot, which aired in October, accuses Brown of protecting large insurance companies for decades while they raise prices.

The ad claims Brown received $240,000 from major insurance firms in exchange for supporting policies that benefited them. The specific amount cited in the advertisement lacks cited evidence. Brown, who is seeking to return to the Senate after losing re-election in 2024, has countered with his own attack. In a video posted to his Facebook page in August, he stated that Husted voted nine times against measures to lower premiums. Brown alleged that Husted accepted $700,000 from the same companies now increasing costs for Ohioans.

Marketplace data supports the narrative of rising costs. The Health Policy Institute of Ohio reported that premiums for Affordable Care Act marketplace plans in the state jumped by an average of 18% this year. Enrollment also fell sharply. More than 161,000 fewer Ohioans were enrolled in ACA marketplace plans in February 2026 than a year earlier. That represents a decline of 32.4%. The drop followed the expiration of enhanced federal subsidies to the ACA at the end of 2025, which increased the price of coverage for many consumers.

Brown has quantified the long-term impact of these changes. In a recent interview, he stated that 490,000 Ohioans will lose health care coverage over the next decade due to the end of ACA subsidies and related Medicaid changes. He compared the number of affected individuals to the capacity of Ohio Stadium, noting that the people who lost insurance could fill the venue almost five times over.

Husted argues that Brown is responsible for the current state of health care due to his voting record during his time in office. In a December interview, Husted said he is working across party lines to renew premium tax credits while eliminating fraud. He described American taxpayers as tired of fraud in the health care system, particularly as it affects working people. Husted said he is trying to fix the mistakes made by his opponent.

Prescription drug costs are another point of contention. Brown said at a campaign stop in Steubenville in August that he wants to cap drug prices. He proposed a method similar to the previous cap on insulin for Medicare beneficiaries. He argued that the government should negotiate drug prices in the same way the Department of Veterans Affairs does, ensuring Ohioans do not pay more for a pill than consumers in Canada.

Husted has sponsored a bill aimed at lowering prices by modernizing the process for selling more prescription drugs over the counter. He also points to the Working Families Tax Cuts Act, often referred to as the One Big Beautiful Bill, for its anti-fraud requirements. Husted said the act requires states to more frequently check eligibility to prevent improper payments. He estimated these measures will save billions of dollars. More than three million Ohioans are currently on Medicaid. Advocates say the changes in the act could remove more than half a million Ohioans from the rolls. Husted has praised the economic benefits of the act, while Brown has cited his opposition to it as a reason for his return to the race.