A new poll of the race to replace retiring Sen. George Voinovich (R-OH) shows Republicans are looking pretty likely to retain the seat. The University of Cincinnati poll of likely voters shows GOP nominee Rob Portman with a huge lead over his Democratic opponent, Lee Fisher. The poll shows Portman leading 55-40.
The last University of Cincinnati poll of the race — from May — showed Fisher up 47-46.
Internals show the race skewing toward the Republican across the state, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer, a co-sponsor of the poll.
“Portman’s lead in southwest Ohio, his home base, is astronomical — he has 66 percent support to Fisher’s 28 percent,” the paper reports. “But in Fisher’s backyard - northeast Ohio — the race is nearly a dead heat — 47 percent Fisher, 49 percent Portman.”
Past polling suggests the lead in the new poll is no fluke. The TPM Poll Average shows Portman leading 49.3-39.2.
Trend lines show that Portman is in danger of running away with election as early voting begins next week:
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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