New Poll Out

GOP LOOKING GOOD

Ok a new poll was released by the University of Cincinnati, the first major one since the primary elections. Here is the entire story:

Democratic U.S. Rep. Ted Strickland has a slight lead over Republican Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell in the race for Ohio governor, according to a statewide poll released Thursday.

About 50 percent of registered voters said they would select Strickland versus 44 percent who would chose Blackwell, according to the first major poll since the primary election, conducted by the University of Cincinnati. The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.7 percentage points.

The Ohio Poll, conducted from May 9 through May 21, also showed Republican U.S. Sen. Mike DeWine leading U.S. Rep. Sherrod Brown, the Democratic challenger for the Senate seat. About 52 percent of voters support DeWine versus 42 percent who favor Brown.

Democrats elbowed Paul Hackett, an Iraqi War veteran who was running a strong grassroots campaign against DeWine, out of the primary in hopes that the popular Brown could prevail in the wake of widespread Republican scandal.

Brown had the lowest name recognition of all four candidates, according to the poll, with just 77 percent of the 698 registered voters sampled knowing who he is. DeWine was recognized by 95 percent of people surveyed.

Ninety-two percent of those surveyed knew Blackwell's name, versus 79 percent who had heard of Strickland.

When asked whether they have a positive opinion of the candidates, people of all parties gave Strickland a 10 percent favorability rating. Blackwell's was lower at just 3 percent, fueled by a heavy unfavorable sentimate among registered Democrats. The rating measures the percentage difference between voters with positive and negative opinions of the candidate.

DeWine was viewed most positively, receiving a 15 percent favorability rating, compared to 7 percent for Brown.

The poll also revealed a significant lack of information about the candidates among registered voters. Forty-five percent of voters surveyed -- and particularly independents -- said they know too little about Blackwell to judge him. Fifty-one percent said they still need more information about Strickland, with only those in his southeastern Ohio congressional district claiming adequate knowledge.

I believe those numbers are very incouraging for Republicans. Blackwell might be down in the polls, but I believe as the campaign swings into high gear in the fall, he will be just fine. Also, I believe the more people learn about Sherrod Brown, the worse off he is. I live in his district, and the man is worthless.

Im confident about 2006.

-Brad