COLUMBUS, Ohio—Today, AARP Ohio released a 2024 statewide election survey, revealing that candidates for president, U.S. Senate, and state races should pay close attention to Ohioans ages 50 and older. Ohio residents ages 50 and older make up an outsized portion of the electorate: in the 2020 elections, older voters accounted for 56% of all Ohio voters and in the 2022 mid-terms, they made up 65% of the state’s voters. Eighty-nine percent of voters ages 50 and older say they are “extremely motivated” to cast a ballot in November, with 76% of voters ages 18-49 saying the same.

In the U.S. Senate race, Senator Sherrod Brown (D) holds a 4-point lead over Bernie Moreno (R), 46% - 42%, among voters overall. Among voters ages 50 and older, Moreno holds a 2-point advantage, 47% - 45%. The cohort of 50-64-year-olds favor Moreno by 5-points, while Brown has a 1-point lead among voters 65 and older. Brown leads by 17-points among women voters 18 and older and 6-points among women 50 and older. Black voters 50 and older prefer Brown over Moreno, 86%-8%.

Former President Donald Trump (R) leads Vice President Kamala Harris (D) among voters overall, 48% - 39%, with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. polling at 9%. Trump holds a larger lead over Harris among voters ages 50 and older, 54% - 36%. Harris is ahead by 4-points among women overall while Trump leads by 10-points among women ages 50 and older. Black voters 50 and older prefer Harris over Trump, 82%-7%, and are extremely motivated to vote, with 87% rating their motivation level as 10 out of 10.

Candidates who want to win over older voters ought to pay attention to the issues that matter most to this group. Eighty percent of voters ages 50 and older report that candidates’ positions on Social Security are very important in deciding whom to vote for in November, followed by Medicare (74%), helping people stay in their homes as they age (70%), and the cost of prescription drugs (67%). And the vast majority (84%) of older Ohioans prefer a member of Congress who wants Medicare to continue negotiating for lower prescription drug prices.

“Ohio voters over age 50 are the biggest voting bloc and could tip the scale for any candidate in this election,” said Jennifer Carlson, State Director, AARP Ohio. “To secure a win in November, candidates must prioritize the critical concerns of voters over age 50, from protecting Social Security and supporting family caregivers to lowering the cost of health care, especially prescription drugs.” 

Other key takeaways from the poll among voters 50 and older include:

• Swing voters (those who are splitting their tickets between the Presidential, Senate and Congressional races) make up 24% of older voters, and prefer Brown for Senate and Trump for President by large margins - 40% and 25%, respectively. 
• Over half (55%) say Social Security is or will be a major source of their income.
• Immigration and border security (39%) is the most important issue when deciding who to vote for in November, followed by inflation and rising prices (30%), and the economy and jobs (23%).
  • 61 percent cite personal economic issues – inflation and rising prices, the economy and jobs, and Social Security – as most important.
• Thirty percent of older voters identify as family caregivers, making up 17% of voters overall. Thirty-nine percent of Black voters over 50, 34% of swing voters over 50 and 32% of women over 50 identify as family caregivers.

AARP commissioned the bipartisan polling team of Fabrizio Ward (R) & Impact Research (D) to conduct a survey of voters in Ohio. The firms interviewed 1,384 likely voters, which includes a statewide representative sample of 600 likely voters, an oversample of 464 likely voters ages 50 and older, and an additional oversample of 320 Black likely voters ages 50 and older. The survey was done between July 23-28, 2024. The interviews were conducted via live interviewer on landline (25%) and cellphone (35%), as well as SMS-to-web (40%). The sample was randomly drawn from the Ohio voter list. The margin of sampling error at the 95% confidence level for the 600 statewide sample is ±4.0%; for the 800 total sample of voters 50+ is ±3.5%; for the 400 total sample of Black voters 50+ is ±4.9%.

View the full survey results at aarp.org/OHpolling and find all of our state battleground polls at aarp.org/voterpolls24.

For more information on how, when, and where to vote in Ohio, visit aarp.org/OHvotes.  

###

About AARP
AARP is the nation's largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering Americans 50 and older to choose how they live as they age. With a nationwide presence, AARP strengthens communities and advocates for what matters most to the more than 100 million Americans 50-plus and their families: health security, financial stability and personal fulfillment. AARP also works for individuals in the marketplace by sparking new solutions and allowing carefully chosen, high-quality products and services to carry the AARP name. As a trusted source for news and information, AARP produces the nation's largest circulation publications, AARP The Magazine and AARP Bulletin. To learn more, visit www.aarp.org/about-aarp/, www.aarp.org/español or follow @AARP, @AARPenEspañol and @AARPadvocates on social media.