More news out of Ohio today, this time regarding the upcoming Governor’s race between Richard Cordray (D. OH) and Mike DeWine (R. OH):
The 1984 Society poll also showed DeWine leading the governor's race with a 6.5 percentage point advantage on Cordray, leading the Democrat 40 percent to 33.5 percent. Green Party candidate Constance Gadell-Newton had 1 percent while 22 percent said they were unsure.
That's closer than a similar poll by the same outfit in January , which showed DeWine leading 49 percent to 28 percent - a 21-percentage point lead.
DeWine also remains more well-known than Cordray. A full 93 percent of respondents said they had heard of DeWine, compared with 66 percent for Cordray.
But Cordray had a better net favorability rating of 20 percent compared with DeWine at 16 percent.
Part of the reason for DeWine's drop could be residual effects from an ugly primary. The race between DeWine and Lt. Gov. Mary Taylor quickly devolved into attack ads and mudslinging.
DeWine's favorability was lowest in the Cincinnati media market, where the bulk of the attack ads against DeWine ran.
More information about the poll:
The poll was commissioned by the 1984 Society, a political group of former Ohio Senate employees, which measured every statewide race. The poll is one in a series the group is conducting over the course of the election, according to Neil Clark, a Republican lobbyist and 1984 Society board member.
The poll surveyed 800 registered general election voters with a history of voting and new registrants from May 21-25. It was conducted by Fallon Research via live callers and included cell phones and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.46 percent.
Cordray is gaining momentum and he still has a lot of time to gain more on DeWine. Also, Democrats are doing or are competitive in down-ballot races:
State Rep. Kathleen Clyde, a Democrat from Kent, was essentially tied with state Sen. Frank LaRose, a Republican from Hudson, in the secretary of state's race. More than 37 percent of voters said they were undecided.
Former U.S. Rep. Zack Space, a Democrat from Dover, led state Rep. Keith Faber, a Republican from Celina, 35 percent to 32 percent, within the margin of error.
And state Rep. Robert Sprague, a Republican from Findlay, led Democratic labor attorney Rob Richardson of Cincinnati 33 percent to 30 percent, also within the margin of error.
Should that pattern hold, it means Democrats have a realistic shot of at least two seats - secretary of state and auditor - on a new redistricting commission that will draw state legislative districts.
Let’s bring the Blue Wave to Ohio big time. Click below to donate and get involved with Cordray and the other Democrats running for state offices: