A poll released today shows Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland holds a slight lead over Republican challenger John Kasich, 43 to 38 percent, a small change from 44 to 38 percent in April and 43 to 38 percent in March.
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poll released today shows Strickland leads among Democrats, 81 to 4 percent, and among independents 40 to 37 percent, while Kasich leads among Republicans 81 to 6 percent.
Despite Strickland’s lead, voters disapprove 54 to 33 percent of his handling of the economy and give him a 52 to 31 percent failing grade on handling the state budget. Voters say 48 to 31 percent that the governor has not kept campaign promises.
These are Strickland’s lowest scores on all three questions.
Ohio voters give Strickland a split 44 to 42 percent job approval rating, down from 47 to 38 percent in April and 49 to 40 percent approval in March. They view him favorably by a 42 to 37 percent margin, with 19 percent saying they don’t know enough about him to form an opinion.
Kasich is viewed favorably by 28 percent, unfavorably by 19 percent with 52 percent unable to make a judgment, according to the poll. An indication of how Kasich’s lack of visibility is hurting his candidacy is that among white, evangelical Christians, one of the most GOP-leaning groups in the electorate, his favorability is 37 to 11 percent, as 52 percent of such voters don’t know enough about him to have an opinion.
The Quinnipiac University Poll, directed by Douglas Schwartz, conducts public opinion surveys in Florida, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Ohio and the nation as a public service and for research.