The new Quinnipiac poll of Ohio shows Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown with a big lead over his Republican challenger, state Treasurer Josh Mandel, though Mandel could have some room to grow — if voters find out that he exists.
The numbers: Brown 48%, Mandel 35%. The survey of registered voters was conducted from February 7-12, and has a ±2.6% margin of error. In the previous Quinnipiac poll from mid-January, Brown led by a similar margin of 47%-32%.
In the new poll, Brown has an approval rating of 47%, to 34% disapproval. Mandel is currently an unknown, with a personal favorable rating of 16%, to 12% unfavorable, and an overwhelming 71% who have no opinion.
The TPM Poll Average currently gives Brown a lead of 46.3%-35.9%.