Recent polls of the U.S. Senate election in Ohio have favored Sen. Rob Portman by steady margins, in contrast to earlier polls showing ties and close calls with Democratic challenger Ted Strickland.
A CBS/YouGov poll released Sunday showed the Republican incumbent ahead by seven points, 46-39, among likely Ohio voters.
A separate poll released Monday Monmouth University placed Portman pf the former Ohio governor by eight points, 48-40.
When CBS/YouGov polled Ohio likely voters in July, the race between the Republican incumbent and the former governor was tighter. Portman led by just one percent, 41-40. Earlier polls, such as Quinnipiac in June and NBC/WSJ/Marist in July, showed the two candidates locked in a tie, at 42 and 44 percent respectively.
The CBS/YouGov poll was conducted online from Aug. 15-17, among 997 likely Ohio voters with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.9 percent.
The Monmouth poll, conducted Aug. 18-21, surveyed 402 likely Ohio general election voters over the phone, with a margin of error of plus or minus 4.9 percent.
TPM’s PollTracker Average shows Portman building a steady lead in recent weeks. Portman now leads Strickland, 47.9 to 40.3.
