COLUMBUS – A new poll tends to confirm reports that Ohio is becoming a redder state: Incumbent U.S. Sen. Rob Portman has widened an already comfortable lead over Democratic challenger and former governor Ted Strickland.
According to the latest Quinnipiac University poll, 55 percent of likely voters support Portman while Strickland gets only 38 percent, a significant gain over a Sept. 9 poll, which showed Portman leading 41 to 40 percent.
“Anything can happen in politics but it would take a collapse of historic proportions for Senator Rob Portman to lose his reelection bid,” said Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll.
Portman enjoys the support of both men and women and 94 percent of Republicans are in his corner, but so are 59 percent of independent voters.
The race between Portman and Strickland has been the most expensive senatorial race in the country as Republicans battle to hold onto the seat. While the national Democratic party fought to wrest it from the GOP, Democratic money started to abandon the Strickland campaign after the September poll.
The most recent survey of likely Ohio voters was conducted between Sept. 27 and Oct. 2 and has a margin of error of +/-4.4 percent.