Poll Suggests Trouble for Kasich, GOP in 2014
RALEIGH, N.C. -- A new poll from Public Policy Polling suggests a tough reelection fight for Gov. John Kasich and challenges for other GOP statewide officials looking to retain their current positions next year as well.
Asked to choose between the Republican incumbent governor and Cuyahoga County Executive Ed FitzGerald, who is seeking the Demoncratic nomination for governor, 38% said they supported FitzGerald, 35% preferred Kasich and 27% were undecided.
The poll showed Kasich with 47% of respondents disapproving of his job performance, 42% approving and 11% unsure. The same survey had 49% disapproving of President Obama’s job performance and 47% approving, with the remaining 4% not sure.
The survey of 551 Ohioans was conducted Aug. 16-19, following media reports that several members of the JobsOhio board had connections to companies that received state benefits and that Kasich continued to receive deferred compensation from his time on the board of Worthington Industries, which received state tax credits.
Nearly two-thirds of respondents, or 62%, were not sure whether they had a favorable or unfavorable opinion of FitzGerald, The remaining respondents were split nearly evenly with 20% saving they had a favorable opinion of the Democrat and 18% an unfavorable one.
Seizing on the new polling, the FitzGerald campaign issued a statement that noted Kasich’s approval/disapproval rating represented a drop of a full 10 percentage points from last year, the last time PPP polled in the governor’s race. The campaign attributed Kasich’s falling poll numbers to the JobsOhio disclosures as well as the recent state budget, which it said “radically shifted the tax burden onto Ohio’s middle class families … in order to pay for [tax] cuts for the rich and set back women’s health care 60 years.
Of the down-ticket races surveyed in the poll, Attorney General Mike DeWine held the most secure position over his potential Democratic opponent. Asked who they would vote for, nearly half of respondents, 46%, said they would back DeWine over David Pepper, a former Hamilton County commissioner, with 32%, while 21% were undecided.
Respondents favored Democrat state Rep. Connie Pillich over incumbent Treasurer Josh Mandel, 40% to 35%, respectively, with 24% undecided. Asked to rate Mandel’s job performance, 30% said they approved, 41% disapproved and 30% were not sure. Last fall, when Mandel mounted an unsuccessful challenge last year to U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, half of Ohio survey respondents held an unfavorable view of Mandel.
Secretary of State Jon Husted held a 1 percentage point lead over state Sen. Nina Turner, 37% to 36%, with 28% undecided in the race. Husted’s job performance rating was split, 28% favorable and 28% unfavorable, with 43% not sure.
Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
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