A poll released this weekend by the data company Cygnal shows Ohio Republican candidates for governor and U.S. Senate widening their leads against their Democratic opponents.
The survey of 1,776 likely voters shows J.D. Vance, the author, attorney and venture capitalist running to succeed retiring Republican Senator Rob Portman, with a 4.6-percent lead over Democratic Congressman Tim Ryan (D-OH-13). Among those polled, 9.2 percent said they were undecided.
Cygnal’s new numbers show the Republican candidate in better shape than what the Marist College and Siena polls indicated a few days ago; both of those entities’ mid-month surveys suggested the race was a dead heat.
Cygnal’s report indicated Republican Governor Mike DeWine’s re-election effort along with Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted has an even more formidable 21-point advantage against Democratic former Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley and her running mate, Cheryl Stephens. The undecideds in that race also came to 9.2 percent. With this new data, the RealClearPolitics polling average for the Ohio governor’s race now show’s an 18.8-point spread in DeWine’s favor.
Other statewide races covered in the Cygnal survey also showed Republicans well ahead. Republican Attorney General Dave Yost and Secretary of State Frank LaRose had double-digit leads over their respective Democratic opponents Jeffrey Crossman and Chelsea Clark.
Ohio has three competitive congressional races this year and the new survey bodes well for the GOP candidates in those races. The pollsters asked respondents whether they would support their Republican candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives or their Democratic candidate. The generic Republican option got 52.1 percent backing and the Democratic contender got 41 percent.
GOP hopefuls’ positive showing and the Democrats’ poor showing tracks with Ohioans’ sentiment regarding President Joe Biden, who is viewed favorably by only 38.4 percent of poll participants. Republicans have been enthused to tie Buckeye State Democrats to the commander in chief.
“Tim Ryan is a rubberstamp for Joe Biden,” Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel tweeted this weekend. “@JDVance1 is the senator Ohio needs!”
In the poll, voters also registered special concern about issues that are not benefiting Democrats electorally this year: A combined 46.1 percent said inflation or jobs and the economy concerned them the most among all political issues; only 20 percent named abortion — an issue the Whaley campaign has admitted to focusing on monomaniacally — as their top issue.
– – –
Bradley Vasoli is managing editor of The Ohio Star. Follow Brad on Twitter at @BVasoli. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Mike DeWine” by Mike DeWine. Photo “JD Vance” by JD Vance. Background Photo “Voting Booths” by Tim Evanson. CC BY-SA 2.0.
