Ohio, once a presidential battleground, has leaned reliably Republican in recent elections. But close races for governor and the U.S. Senate have given Democrats an opening in the state. To win, they will need support beyond their usual constituencies, including in rural areas where voters have typically favored Republicans.

The Senate contest pits Republican Sen. Jon Husted against former Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown. Both campaigns are seeking rural voters as concerns about household budgets and the viability of family farms weigh on residents.

At the Athens market, resident Matthew White said people around him are frustrated by the price of fuel and the effects of tariffs and the war in Iran. For farmers, those pressures can quickly reach the bottom line.

Larry Cowdery, who runs a small vegetable farm near the Ohio River in Long Bottom, said health insurance is a growing burden for his self-employed household. Premiums for Ohio Affordable Care Act marketplace plans are expected to rise about 15% next year, in part because federal subsidies are set to expire. Husted supported legislation that ended the subsidies.

Cowdery is also worried about keeping his multigenerational farm operating as electricity, gasoline and other expenses climb. He depends on fertilizer for his crops and fears the conflict in Iran could disrupt supplies moving through the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping route.

Those concerns have made Cowdery less inclined to vote Republican. He said he is also unhappy with Ohio’s Republican-led Legislature and distrusts Husted.

Not every voter at the market is moving away from the GOP. Dean Ferrell, a 62-year-old Athens resident who describes himself as independent, said higher prices for groceries, utilities and gasoline have forced him to cut back. He is still leaning toward Husted, citing dissatisfaction with Democrats and what he sees as the party’s move to the left.

The strain is particularly visible on farms. Chris Gibbs, a Shelby County farmer who grows corn, soybeans and hay and raises cattle, said rising production costs have left him running a deficit for nearly three years. Diesel for his combine costs about $7 a gallon, he said, and a day and a half of operation can require roughly $1,000 in fuel.

Gibbs once chaired the Shelby County Republican Party and voted for Donald Trump in 2016. He said tariffs and Trump’s conduct led him to break with the former president. Now chair of the Ohio Democratic Party’s Rural Caucus, Gibbs is working to elect Brown, whom he believes has the experience to represent rural communities.

Republican voters in the region see the race differently. At a GOP event in Guysville, Melissa Jant said she opposes Brown’s return to the Senate, viewing his long tenure as evidence that the state needs new leadership. Jimmy Williams of Monroe County also favors Husted, whom he considers a newcomer to the Senate despite his current seat. Bob Rouch of Washington County said he wants Ohio to remain Republican and worries Democrats would focus on investigations of Trump.

Rural voters nationally backed Trump by a wide margin in 2024, but the source of political support is not uniform. In Ohio, farmers and other residents describe pressure from prices, health care and uncertainty over trade and supplies, while some continue to prioritize party affiliation and opposition to Brown.

With control of the Senate potentially at stake, those competing concerns could make rural Ohio communities consequential in a statewide contest.