Brown and Husted offer Ohio seniors opposite Social Security plans before Tuesday

Ohio's Senate race has turned into a direct choice on Social Security and Medicare, with Republican Sen. Jon Husted and former Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown offering different plans four days before Tuesday's election ¹. The race is one of a handful of toss-ups that could decide who controls the Senate ¹.

The programs matter a great deal in Ohio. More than 2.6 million Ohioans received Social Security benefits as of December 2025, and a similar number were eligible for Medicare, according to government data cited by Newsweek ¹. Census data show more than 2 million Ohioans are 65 or older ¹.

Brown: raise the tax cap

Brown says billionaires should pay more so the program lasts longer. In AARP Ohio's video voter guide, he said "we need to ensure that billionaires are paying their fair share by raising the tax cap" ².

Brown also points to the Social Security Fairness Act, which he led in the Senate. The law ended two rules, the Windfall Elimination Provision and the Government Pension Offset, and raised benefits for workers such as teachers, firefighters and police officers ¹.

From Channel GOPSherrod Brown ties Husted to Epstein co-conspirator's moneySherrod Brown · captioned, with the source named

In a statement to Newsweek, Brown accused Husted of wanting to cut benefits. He also alleged that Husted has taken more than $1 million from the nursing home industry and more than $700,000 from insurance companies ¹.

Jon Husted wants to cut Medicare and Social Security benefits that countless Ohio families rely on

Husted: protect benefits, no specific fix

Husted calls Social Security a "sacred promise to our seniors" and says fixing it will take "genuine bipartisan solutions" ¹. He did not name a specific fix in the AARP guide and did not address the tax cap, according to the Ohio Capital Journal ².

He cited his support for a $6,000 tax deduction for families receiving Social Security ¹. He also backs a bipartisan bill that would raise the asset limit for Supplemental Security Income, a program for low-income older and disabled people, to $10,000 for individuals and $20,000 for couples ¹.

I am fully committed to protecting the benefits they have earned through a lifetime of hard work

Newsweek said it had reached out to the Husted campaign for comment ¹.

Medicaid and the polls

Brown's campaign has attacked Husted for supporting the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which added a work requirement to Medicaid. Democrats say it could make it harder for eligible people to get coverage ¹. Husted defended the law, saying Ohio would see "a net gain in federal dollars" ¹.

Polls show a close race with Brown generally ahead. A Suffolk University poll of 500 likely voters, taken Oct. 21-26, had Brown up 47% to 44%, with a margin of error of 4.4 points ¹. A Fox News poll, taken Oct. 15-19, had him ahead 52% to 47% ¹.

Ohio voted for Trump by about 11 points in 2024 ¹. Republicans hold a 53-47 Senate majority, and Democrats need to flip four seats to take control ¹.

What happens next

Polls in Ohio are open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Early voting ends Nov. 1, and more than 1.2 million ballots have already been returned ¹.

That matters because the Social Security tax cap is a real fork in the road. A budget group's analysis, reported by the Ohio Capital Journal, found that eliminating the cap would close only about half of the program's funding gap ². Voters will decide which approach to the rest of that gap they prefer.

The Record

1. Oct 6, 2026Early voting began in Ohio ¹.
2. Oct 12, 2026The Ohio Capital Journal reported on the Brown and Husted answers in AARP Ohio's video voter guide ².
3. Oct 26, 2026A Suffolk University poll taken Oct. 21-26 showed Brown ahead 47% to 44% ¹.

Sources

1. Newsweek, “Sherrod Brown vs. Jon Husted's Plans for Medicare and Social Security” (2026-10-30). newsweek.com/sherrod-brown-vs-jon-husteds-plans-for-medicare
2. Ohio Capital Journal (via Yahoo News), “Ohio US Senate candidates discuss how to fix Social Security” (2026-10-12). yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/ohio-us-senate-candidates-d

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