It’s a good time to be running for statewide office in Ohio if you’re a Republican. That’s the message from a pair of polls out this weekend showing Republican nominees for Senate and governor in Ohio with big leads over their Democratic rivals.
The polls were conducted by the Columbus Dispatch Aug. 25-Sept. 3. Surveys were mailed to respondents by the paper and then returned. The total number of respondents is 1,622 and the margin of error is 2.2%.
In the race for Ohio’s open Senate seat, Republican Rob Portman is leading Democratic nominee Lee Fisher 50-37 in the Dispatch poll. The TPM Poll Average for that race shows Portman ahead 45.7-40.0.
Recent surveys have shown Portman gaining momentum in the contest as the final two months of campaigning begins:
In the gubernatorial fight, incumbent Democrat Ted Strickland faces Republican nominee
John Kasich. The Dispatch poll shows Kasich with a double-digit lead in the race, showing the Republican ahead 49-37. The TPM Poll Average shows Kasich ahead 48.6-40.7.
As in the Senate race, recent polling has shown the Republican with the momentum in Ohio’s gubernatorial fight:
There is no past Dispatch poll for direct comparison.
