Strickland Reclaims Lead, Still Under 50
OH Gov. Ted Strickland (D) leads his GOP rival, but his share of the vote remains well under a majority, according to a new survey.
The Quinnipiac Univ. survey of 1,662 OH voters between Feb. 16-21 has a margin of error of +/- 2.4%. Strickland was tested against ex-Rep. John Kasich (R).
General Election Matchup
All Dem GOP Ind
Strickland 44% 82% 11% 38% (+4 from last, 11/11)
Kasich 39 9 73 38 (-1)
Strickland boasts a lead after being tied in the Nov. poll, but Kasich still has room to grow. Just 36% of voters have an opinion of the former House Budget Committee chair -- 26% fav, 10% unfav -- meaning he has the chance to build on his early support.
Strickland's 45%/36% fav/unfav isn't terrible, and 48% still approve of his job as Gov. But both numbers remain well under the 50% mark, considered safe for an incumbent. What's more, other metrics aren't on Strickland's side -- 68% of voters are either somewhat or very dissatisfied with the direction in which OH is going, Pres. Obama has a net-negative 44%-52% job approval rating, and just 35% say they approve of Strickland's handling of the economy (53% disapprove).
Don't expect the campaign to be fought exclusively on turf that benefits Kasich, though. In an interview with Hotline OnCall this weekend, Strickland hinted he will defend his own record while focusing on Kasich's time in Congress -- and his tenure at Lehman Brothers -- as well.
"I have an opponent who has a record as well. In a sense, he's an incumbent, just as I'm an incumbent. We both were members of congress -- he for 18 years, me for 12 years," Strickland said. "So we have records. I have a record since leaving congress, he has a record since leaving congress, having a been a managing director of Lehman Brothers at the time that it went into bankruptcy, and really was the tipping point leading us into this current recession. And so our records will be debated, as they should be."
-- Sean Sullivan contributed to this article.