All Eyes on Corruption in the Buckeye State
Key Takeaways
- President Trump is underwater in a state he won by over 10 points in 2024.
- Corruption ties costs as Ohioans’ top priority, but they’re split on who they trust to handle the issue.
- Clear majorities disapprove of the economy and of how President Trump is handling it; they blame GOP policies, corporate greed, and price gouging.
- Data centers and rising utility rates rank higher as concerns in Ohio than in other Navigator expanded battleground states.
Ohioans Are Unhappy with Trump and the Economy, and They Blame GOP Policies, Corporate Greed, and Price Gouging
President Trump is underwater in a state he won by over 10 points in 2024. His net approval sits at -7 (46% favorable – 53% unfavorable). Ohioans also give Trump a failing grade overall (-12 net job rating), on the economy (-11 net job rating), and handling the war with Iran (-22 net job rating).
Nearly 70% of Ohioans rate the economy negatively and they place the blame on Trump and Republicans in Congress. By a 13-point margin, Ohioans say Trump and Republicans in Congress are more to blame than Democrats for rising costs (48% blame Trump and Republicans in Congress – 35% blame Democrats in Congress). Notably, 45% of non-MAGA Republicans also blame Trump and Republicans in Congress for rising costs.
When it comes to what Ohioans blame for rising costs, nearly half (49%) point to corporate greed and price gouging, while about one-in-three point to the war with Iran (30%), tariffs (28%) or other policies from Washington (36%).
Corruption is a Top Priority for Ohioans, Tied With Cost of Living
Ohioans nearly equally prioritize cost (52%) and corruption (53%) – a stark difference compared to Americans across the country where cost concerns alone tend to lead the pack. Other salient priorities in Ohio are healthcare (37%), government spending and debt (34%), and jobs and the economy (31%).
While 50% say Republicans in Congress have focused on policies that make life less affordable, when it comes to who they trust on cost and corruption, Ohioans are split. Roughly equal portions say they trust Democrats (38%) or Republicans (37%) more to lower costs. Similar shares say they trust Democrats (34%) or Republicans (35%) more to take on corruption. Notably one-in-four (25%) trust neither or both on lowering costs, and nearly one-in-three (31%) trust neither or both to handle corruption.
Clearly, corruption is not just an abstract issue but a pocketbook one, and an opportunity exists for elected officials to message to Americans on the very real costs of corruption.
Ohioans Don’t See Senator Jon Husted (R-OH) As Aligned With Their Values
On the issues that are top of mind for Ohioans, Sen. Husted is deeply underwater.
- “Fighting inflation” (52% describes not well – 27% describes well).
- “Lowering costs for working families” (51% describes not well – 28% describes well).
- “Standing up to corruption” (50% describes not well – 28% describes well).
A majority also believe that Republican senators are willing to side with President Trump even if not in the interest of Ohio, and being blindly loyal to Trump is a top concern Ohioans have about their elected officials.
Notably, most view President Trump and Republicans in Congress as focusing nearly exclusively on immigration, rather than the issues that Ohioans care about most like cost and corruption.
Ohioans Are Concerned About Corruption in Congress, Data Centers, and Higher Utility Costs
Corruption and costs aren’t just top priorities for Ohioans, they’re also what concerns them most.
- Nearly eight-in-10 (78%) are concerned about a Congressional slush fund that would misuse taxpayer dollars.
- Almost seven-in-10 (67%) are concerned if an elected official allowed big tech companies to build data centers with no restrictions.
- Six-in-10 (62%) would also be seriously concerned if their representative allowed utility companies to raise rates.
Concerns around AI and data centers are also growing nationally, see here for additional research.
Notably, independent Ohioans are also concerned about elected officials supported by big Pharma (54% serious concern from independents) and continuing support for the war with Iran (57% serious concern from independents).
About the study
Impact Research conducted public opinion surveys among a sample of 600 likely 2026 general election voters in each of Alaska, Iowa, Ohio, and Texas for a total sample size of 2,400 between August 18 – 27, 2026. The survey was conducted via text-to-web interviews. Respondents were verified against a voter file and special care was taken to ensure the demographic composition of our sample matched that of each state included in the sample across a variety of demographic variables. The margin of error for the full sample at the 95 percent level of confidence is ± 2.0 percentage points. The margin of error for subgroups varies and is higher.