# Triple the Ohio Senate Field, and Chuck Todd is Just Citing the Polling Average | MissedTakes Election Brief

*Published 2026-11-03 — MissedTakes*

*Drafted by a language model from MissedTakes' graded data, then reviewed and approved by Ben Garves before publishing.*

## How has the field moved on Ohio's Senate special election?

The field calling Ohio's special Senate election has grown from 5 pundits a month ago to 16 today, and the split between the two candidates hasn't moved: 12 pick [Sherrod Brown](/elections/candidates/sherrod-brown), 4 pick [Jon Husted](/elections/candidates/jon-husted). Four weeks ago it was 4 Brown picks to 1 for Husted among just 5 callers. All 3 forecasters in the race back Brown; among the 13 talkers it's 9 Brown to 4 Husted. Polymarket prices Brown at 73 cents to Husted's 28, and VoteHub's average of 8 polls through November 1 has Brown ahead 48.2 to 44.3, a 3.9-point lead.

![Twelve pundits back Brown, four hold out for Husted](/posts/visuals/ca99847a-e47c-45b8-ba9e-c82d5bae9a93.png)

## What did Chuck Todd call on Ohio this week?

Chuck Todd attached a margin to the Ohio race for the first time this cycle on November 2, saying Brown wins by "3-4" points, a figure that lines up with VoteHub's 3.9-point polling margin. Todd has made 141 calls this cycle, more than any other pundit tracked, including 28 in the past week alone, but he carries no graded record from last cycle, so there's nothing yet to measure this call against. His Ohio call followed an October 22 pick of Brown to win and an October 7 call of Brown by 2 points, so Todd has held the same side of the race since the start of October and sharpened the margin as results have come in from the polls.

The race also drew a fresh voice this week: [Harry Enten](/pundits/harry-enten) called Brown "more likely to win than not" on November 1. Enten has made 13 calls this cycle, 12 of them in the last week, and carries just 2 graded calls from last cycle so far, both right, for 100 accuracy and a MissedTakes Score of 58.

## Which pundits are holding out for Husted?

Four talkers in the Ohio field have Husted winning, and three of them carry graded records with losing marks against a straight home-team pick.

| Pundit | Called Husted on | Accuracy | MissedTakes Score |
| --- | --- | ---: | ---: |
| [John Ashbrook](/pundits/john-ashbrook) | 2026-10-21 | 80.9 | 31.2 |
| [Clay Travis](/pundits/clay-travis) | 2026-10-06 | 71.1 | 30.6 |
| [Buck Sexton](/pundits/buck-sexton) | 2026-10-31 | 59.9 | 11.0 |
| [Steve Deace](/pundits/steve-deace) | 2026-10-30 | 54.1 | 2.2 |

Ashbrook's 16 graded calls give him the best accuracy of the four. Deace, who called Husted to "win by a point or two" on October 30, has 70 graded calls from last cycle and an accuracy of 54.1, barely better than picking the favored side blind. Sexton's Husted call came after he had picked Brown twice earlier in October, on the 6th and the 28th, a swing already covered here this week.

## How has the field moved on House control?

Control of the House has drawn 41 callers, all of them picking Democratic, up from 14 callers a month ago who were also unanimous. What changed is the count, not the split: 14 callers a month ago, 41 now, Democratic both times, without a single caller taking the other side.

## On the record

The 2026 cycle holds 735 calls on record from 103 pundits, 136 of them made in the past week. None has been graded yet, since Election Day hasn't arrived. The full [election leaderboard](/elections/leaderboard) and the [US Elections hub](/elections) carry every race and every pundit tracked this cycle.