Raleigh, N.C. – The days of Ohioans’ jersey-burning hatred for ex-Cleveland Cavalier LeBron James may soon be coming to an end.
29% of Ohio voters have a favorable opinion of 2012 NBA Finals MVP James, up from 15% in February, when Ohio voters were last polled on their opinion of James. The poll was taken the weekend after the 3-time regular season MVP won his first title, a sign that winning rings may be the only way for James to repair his damaged relationship with his home state.
39% of Ohio voters have an unfavorable opinion of James, which is 7 points higher than the 32% who say they are fans of the Cleveland Cavaliers, suggesting that dislike for James is not limited to spurned Cavalier fans.
While most Ohio voters didn’t care about the NBA Finals (56%), they rooted for the Thunder over the champion Heat 29-15. More African-American voters rooted for the Heat (45%) in the Finals than root for the Cavaliers (36%).
A majority (50%) of Ohioans think same-sex marriage should remain illegal in the state. The 13-point spread (50-37) for keeping gay marriage illegal is substantial, but it is a marked improvement from the 23-point margin (55-32) in October. Independents favor legalizing marriage 42-38.
President Obama’s May declaration of support for gay marriage continues to have a huge impact on African Americans’ stance on same-sex marriage. African-American voters in Ohio favor legalizing same-sex marriage 42-35 after opposing legalization 63-16 in October. That’s a swing of 54 points. 76% of African Americans think same-sex couples should either be allowed to marry or form civil unions, up from 51% in October.
The Buckeye state’s recent tradition of partisan bisection is reinforced by the poll—43% of Ohio voters say they would vote Democrat if an election for Congress were held today, while 43% say Republican. Republicans win with Independents 36-29, with 35% unsure of their preference. Young voters are split between the two parties 42-42.
PPP surveyed 673 Ohio voters from June 21st to June 24th. The margin of error for the survey is +/-3.8%. 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 If there was an election for the Congress today,
would you vote Democratic or Republican?
Democratic……………………………………………… 43%
Republican……………………………………………… 43%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 14%
Q2 Do you think same-sex marriage should be
legal or illegal?
Legal……………………………………………………… 37%
Illegal …………………………………………………….. 50%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 14%
Q3 Which of the following best describes your
opinion on gay marriage: gay couples should
be allowed to legally marry, or gay couples
should be allowed to form civil unions but not
legally marry, or there should be no legal
recognition of a gay couple’s relationship?
Gay couples should be allowed to legally
marry ……………………………………………………..32%
Gay couples should be allowed to form civil
unions but not marry …………………………………34%
There should be no legal recognition of a gay
couple’s relationship …………………………………32%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 1%
Q4 Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion
of LeBron James?
Favorable……………………………………………….. 25%
Unfavorable ……………………………………………. 39%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 37%
Q5 In the NBA finals, were you rooting for the
Oklahoma City Thunder or Miami Heat, or did
you not care?
Thunder …………………………………………………. 29%
Heat ………………………………………………………. 15%
Didn’t care………………………………………………. 56%
Q6 Do you consider yourself to be a Cleveland
Cavaliers fans, or not?
Consider yourself a Cavs fan…………………….. 32%
Do not ……………………………………………………. 46%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 22%
Q7 Who did you vote for President in 2008?
John McCain…………………………………………… 42%
Barack Obama………………………………………… 49%
Someone else/Don’t remember …………………. 10%
Q8 Would you describe yourself as very liberal,
somewhat liberal, moderate, somewhat
conservative, or very conservative?
Very liberal ……………………………………………… 9%
Somewhat liberal …………………………………….. 17%
Moderate………………………………………………… 31%
Somewhat conservative……………………………. 27%
Very conservative ……………………………………. 15%
Q9 If you are a woman, press 1. If a man, press 2.
Woman ………………………………………………….. 53%
Man……………………………………………………….. 47%
Q10 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 ……………………………………………….. 39%
Republican……………………………………………… 37%
Independent/Other…………………………………… 24%
Q11 If you are white, press 1. If African-American,
press 2. If other, press 3.
White …………………………………………………….. 84%
African-American …………………………………….. 10%
Other……………………………………………………… 6%
Q12 If you are 18 to 29 years old, press 1. If 30 to
45, press 2. If 46 to 65, press 3. If you are
older than 65, press 4.
18 to 29………………………………………………….. 12%
30 to 45………………………………………………….. 26%
46 to 65………………………………………………….. 42%
Older than 65………………………………………….. 20%