Polls

Ohio Republicans fall behind in hypothetical ballot

| Tom Jensen


Header-poll-results
Raleigh, N.C. –
In a match-up with 2014 Democratic
gubernatorial candidate Ed FitzGerald, 38% of respondents chose FitzGerald
while only 35% chose Republican Governor John Kasich. When polled last
November, Kasich led a potential foe 44-43. 42% of respondents approve of
Kasich while 47% disapprove. Men approved of Kasich 46-43 compared to 38-50 for
women.

Even though FitzGerald was ahead in the hypothetical ballot,
he was unknown by nearly two-thirds of respondents. 20% had a favorable opinion
of him, while 18% had an unfavorable opinion. More men thought favorably of
FitzGerald than women did, yet more men preferred Kasich to FitzGerald in a
hypothetical ballot. Even 55% of Democrats were unsure about favorability for
FitzGerald.

 “John Kasich’s net approval rating
has dropped by 10 points since we last polled Ohio in November,” said Dean
Debnam, President of Public Policy Polling. “This race looks like a toss up at
this point.”

Ohio’s Republican state treasurer Josh Mandel’s approval
rating was even lower than Kasich’s; only 30% approve, while 41% disapprove and
30% were not sure. In a matchup with Democratic candidate Connie Pillich next
year, 40% of voters said they’d choose Pillich compared to 35% for Mandel and
24% undecided.

28% of respondents said they approve of Republican Secretary
of State Jon Husted’s job performance, while 28% disapprove and 43% were not
sure. Husted just barely polled ahead in a hypothetical match-up with
Democratic opponent Nina Turner: 37% Husted to 36% Turner.

Republican Attorney General Mike DeWine had the
highest job approval rating in the poll; 49% of respondents said they approved,
compared to 28% disapproving and 23% not sure. DeWine leads safely in a
match-up with Democratic opponent David Pepper, 46-32. Democrats were split
40-40 approve-disapprove for DeWine, but they went strongly for Pepper for the
hypothetical ballot.

PPP surveyed 551 Ohio voters between August 16-19,
2013. The margin of error for the sample is +/-4.2%. This poll was not paid for
or authorized by any campaign or political organization. PPP surveys are conducted
through automated telephone interviews.

Topline results are below.  Full results, including crosstabs, can be found here.

Q1 Do you approve or disapprove of President
Barack Obama’s job performance?
Approve …………………………………………………. 47%
Disapprove……………………………………………… 49%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 4%

Q2 Do you approve or disapprove of Governor
John Kasich’s job performance?
Approve …………….. .42%
Disapprove…………. .47%
Not sure …………….. .11%

Q3 Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion
of Ed FitzGerald?
Favorable……………………………………………….. 20%
Unfavorable ……………………………………………. 18%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 62%

Q4 If the candidates for Governor next year were
Republican John Kasich and Democrat Ed
FitzGerald, who would you vote for?
John Kasich ……………………………………………. 35%
Ed FitzGerald………………………………………….. 38%
Undecided………………………………………………. 27%

Q5 Do you approve or disapprove of State
Treasurer Josh Mandel’s job performance?
Approve …………….. .30%
Disapprove…………. .41%
Not sure …………….. .30%

Q6 If the candidates for State Treasurer next year
were Republican Josh Mandel and Democrat
Connie Pillich, who would you vote for?
Josh Mandel …………………………………………… 35%
Connie Pillich ………………………………………….. 40%
Undecided………………………………………………. 24%

Q7 Do you approve or disapprove of Secretary of
State Jon Husted’s job performance?
Approve …………….. .28%
Disapprove…………. .28%
Not sure …………….. .43%

Q8 If the candidates for Secretary of State next
year were Republican Jon Husted and
Democrat Nina Turner, who would you vote
for?
Jon Husted……………………………………………… 37%
Nina Turner …………………………………………….. 36%
Undecided………………………………………………. 28%

Q9 Do you approve or disapprove of Attorney
General Mike DeWine’s job performance?
Approve …………….. .49%
Disapprove…………. .28%
Not sure …………….. .23%

Q10 If the candidates for Attorney General next year
were Republican Mike DeWine and Democrat
David Pepper, who would you vote for?
Mike DeWine ………………………………………….. 46%
David Pepper ………………………………………….. 32%
Undecided………………………………………………. 21%

Q11 In the last presidential election, did you vote for
Barack Obama or Mitt Romney?
Barack Obama………………………………………… 47%
Mitt Romney……………………………………………. 45%
Someone else/Don’t remember …………………. 8%

Q12 Would you describe yourself as very liberal,
somewhat liberal, moderate, somewhat
conservative, or very conservative?
Very liberal ……………………………………………… 11%
Somewhat liberal …………………………………….. 17%
Moderate………………………………………………… 33%
Somewhat conservative……………………………. 23%
Very conservative ……………………………………. 16%

Q13 If you are a woman, press 1. If a man, press 2.
Woman ………………………………………………….. 54%
Man……………………………………………………….. 46%

Q14 If you are a Democrat, press 1. If a Republican,
press 2. If you are an independent or identify
with another party, press 3.
Democrat ……………………………………………….. 42%
Republican……………………………………………… 36%
Independent/Other…………………………………… 22%

Q15 If you are white, press 1. If African-American,
press 2. If other, press 3.
White …………………………………………………….. 80%
African-American …………………………………….. 11%
Other……………………………………………………… 8%

Q16 If you are 18 to 45 years old, press 1. If 46 to
65, press 2. If you are older than 65, press 3.
18 to 45………………………………………………….. 36%
46 to 65………………………………………………….. 38%
Older than 65………………………………………….. 26%

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