Asked who they would vote for if they could recast ballots for governor in the 2010 race, 56% of the 820 Ohio voters surveyed Jan. 28 and 29 said they would vote for then-incumbent Gov. Ted Strickland, a Democrat, over the Republicans' nominee, Kasich. The governor, who was a central figure in last year's referendum on Senate Bill 5, a law to restrict collective bargaining rights for state and local public workers in Ohio, also has a 53% disapproval rating, with only 33% approving of the job he is doing,the poll found.
"Ohio voters sent John Kasich a strong message in November by repealing Senate Bill 5 and his numbers haven't improved any since then," said Dean Debnam, president of Public Policy Polling. "He remains one of the least popular governors in the country and that could help Democratic prospects in the state this fall."
Among his Republican base, Kasich earned just a 58% approval rating, with 25% disapproving. He also secured support from just 9% of Democrats, while 80% disapprove of the job he is doing. Among independents, just 38% approve and 47% disapprove.
House Speaker John Boehner, a Cincinnati Republican, fares even worse, with only 28% of voters approving of his job performance and 54% disapproving.
U.S. Sen. Rob Portman, a Republican also elected in 2010, has an approval rating of just 26% while 32% disapprove and 42% aren't sure.
Of the Ohio voters surveyed, 42% identified themselves as Democrats, 36% as Republicans and 21% as independent or other.
The margin of error for the survey is +/-3.4%. This poll was not paid for or authorized by any campaign or political organization, PPP pointed out. PPP, which conducts its surveys through automated telephone interviews, is a Democratic polling company, but polling expert Nate Silver of The New York Times found that its surveys in 2010 actually exhibited a slight bias toward Republican candidates, the company noted.
Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.