Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) holds a 12-point lead over Republican challenger Josh Mandel among likely voters in Ohio’s senate race, according to a new poll from the Washington Post out Tuesday.
The poll shows Brown leading Mandel, 53 percent to 41 percent. Both candidates are fairly unknown among Ohio voters. Forty-nine percent have a favorable opinion of Brown, first elected in 2006, while 40 percent have an unfavorable view. But 11 percent have no opinion of the freshman senator. Mandel, the state treasurer, is viewed favorably by 42 percent of Buckeye State voters and unfavorably by 45 percent, but 13 percent have no opinion of the Republican nominee.
The PollTracker Average currently shows Brown, who has held a consistent advantage throughout the race, leading Mandel by 7.2 points.