Campaign

Portman holds slight edge over Strickland in Ohio Senate race

by Jonathan Easley - 06/09/15 3:22 PM ET

Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) holds a small lead in polling as he tries to defend his seat from former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland (D).

Portman leads with 43 percent support, with Strickland at 41 percent, according to a survey released Tuesday from the Democratic firm Public Policy Polling. Fifteen percent said they remain undecided.

The Senate race in one of the nation’s most hotly contested swing states is shaping up to be a close one. In the same poll from March, PPP found Portman and Strickland were tied at 45 percent support each, with 10 percent undecided.

{mosads}Ohio voters are essentially split on their views of the candidates.

For Portman, 35 percent said they have a favorable view, against 35 percent who view him negatively. For Strickland, 39 percent said they have a favorable view of him, against 38 percent who view him unfavorably.

Portman enters 2016 a top target for Democrats. If he can hold on to his seat, it will go a long way in helping Republicans maintain their majority in the Senate.

Portman has had a strong rollout so far. He was one of the biggest fundraisers in the Senate in the first quarter, bringing in nearly $3 million and boosting his cash-on-hand to $8 million.

He’s also moved early to mobilize Ohio Republicans, garnering hundreds of endorsements from lawmakers and public officials in the state, including Gov. John Kasich (R-Ohio).

But he faces a formidable challenger in Strickland, who is well known in the state from his time as governor and has proven in the past to be a strong fundraiser.

Strickland will still have to fend off a Democratic challenger in the primary. However, the PPP survey shows his challenger, P.G. Sittenfeld, a 30-year-old city councilman from Cincinnati, doesn’t pose much of a threat.

Strickland takes 65 percent support in the primary, with Sittenfeld at 13 percent.

The PPP survey of 859 Ohio voters was conducted between June 4 and June 7 and has a 3.3 percentage point margin of error.

Tags Rob Portman Ted Strickland