The latest news out of Ohio today:
Democrat Sherrod Brown holds comfortable leads over leading Republican candidates in his bid to represent Ohio for a third term in the U.S. Senate, new statewide polling from Baldwin Wallace University shows.
And, in perhaps a surprising twist, Brown's lead is stronger over political veteran Jim Renacci, a member of Congress from Wadsworth, than it is over first-time candidate Mike Gibbons, a Cleveland businessman.
- Brown leads Renacci, 41 percent to 29 percent.
- Brown leads Gibbons, 41 percent to 31 percent.
Baldwin Wallace University's Community Research Institute interviewed 1,011 registered voters statewide from Feb. 28 through March 9. The poll has a margin of error of 3 percentage points.
Brown has some support among Trump voters, according to the poll, though a Republican candidate is the overwhelming choice among those voters.
Thirteen percent of the Trump voters said they would vote for Brown, regardless of whether he is running against Renacci or Gibbons.
Renacci has support from 58 percent of the Trump voters when facing Brown; Gibbons has support among 59 percent of the Trump voters when facing Brown. The rest are unsure.
Baldwin Wallace University also looked at the upcoming Governor’s race and found it in the single-digits:
In this year's gubernatorial race, the generic Republican holds a 5-point lead over the generic Democrat - 32 percent to 27 percent, according to the Baldwin Wallace poll.
Significantly, however, nearly 40 percent said they were unsure how they would vote. The primary is still nearly two months away.
Republicans have won six of the last seven gubernatorial elections in Ohio dating back to 1990, with the lone Democratic win coming from Ted Strickland in 2006. Ohio is more split politically in presidential election years.
The Baldwin Wallace poll did not ask questions about specific gubernatorial candidates.
Let’s show Ohio what real populism looks like by making sure Brown is re-elected and helping former Consumer Financial Protection Bureau director, Richard Cordray (D. OH) become Governor. Click below to donate and get involved with their campaigns.