Despite a slew of negative press over the past two weeks, former Rep. John Kasich (R) is building a lead on incumbent Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland (D), according to a new poll from Rasmussen out today which shows Kasich leading Strickland 47-40.
Rasmussen surveyed 500 likely voters on June 29. The new poll has a margin of error of 4.5%. A similar poll taken by Rasmussen on June 3 showed Kasich ahead 47-42. But other recent polling of the race has shown the race to be closer than that, and some show Strickland in the lead.
The TPM Poll Average shows the race to be a dead heat (Strickland’s ahead in the average by a margin of 43.3-42.9.)
If the Rasmussen numbers are correct, they would likely give Kasich supporters a reason to breathe a sigh of relief. Already under attack from Democrats for his past work for Lehman Brothers, Kasich stepped into a bit of a mess when he first said he wouldn’t beg LeBron James to stay with the Cleveland Cavaliers (which most of the state — including Strickland — has been doing for months now) and then was forced to apologize after his campaign spokesperson mocked Strickland’s rural upbringing.
None of these issues are on their face a reason to lose an election — sorry, LeBron, not even you’re that good — but in total they’ve helped produce a climate that’s appeared to put Strickland in a good position, considering his state’s economic woes and this year’s anti-incumbent (and especially anti-Democratic incumbent) feeling. Though the new Rasmussen poll shows Kasich moving ahead a bit, Democrats can still point to last week’s Quinnipiac poll which showed their man ahead in the contest, 43-38.
Evan McMorris-Santoro
Evan McMorris-Santoro has covered politics for TPM since 2009. Before that, he was a reporter at National Journal’s Hotline covering election 2008. He started his career covering local politics at newspapers in TN and his native NC.
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