A new poll of swing state voters spells good news for Republicans. The survey found Ohio’s U.S. Senate race “too close too call” after the Democratic challenger led by 9 percentage points in April, and Ohio Gov. John Kasich’s approval rating matched his “all-time high.”
The Quinnipiac poll released on Tuesday showed incumbent Sen. Rob Portman trails former Gov. Ted Strickland, the Democratic challenger, by three percentage points, 44-41. Portman’s deficit was 9 percentage points, 48-39, in April, and he brought the race within 6 percentage points, 46-40, by June. Now, the race falls within the margin of error, and Quinnipiac assistant polling director Peter A. Brown has labeled the competition, “too close to call.”
Kasich also receives welcome news from the Buckeye State despite embarking on the campaign trail. Other governors running for president have watched their presidential support at home plummet, such as Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, or have witnessed a majority of their constituents call for them to step down, such as New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.
But Ohio voters approve of the job Kasich does 61-28, which matches his “all-time high rating.” Approximately 84 percent of Republicans and 60 percent of Independents approve of the governor’s job. Even more Democrats approve of him than those who do not, although their support is nearly evenly split 46-44.
In polls of other swing states, Quinnipiac University also found Florida Gov. Rick Scott’s approval rating reached a record high, 45-44. The results marked the first time since one month after Scott took office in 2011 that he failed to get a negative approval rating. In a survey of the Pennsylvania U.S. Senate race, incumbent Sen. Pat Toomey leads his nearest Democratic competitor by 15 percentage points.	
