Poll: Cordray leads DeWine by 6 points in Ohio governor race

Democrat Richard Cordray leads his Republican opponent by six points in a Suffolk University poll of the Ohio gubernatorial race released Wednesday.

The Suffolk University/Cincinnati Enquirer poll of likely midterm voters showed Cordray held the support of 46 percent of the state, while his opponent, Mike DeWine, trailed at 40 percent.

{mosads} The poll’s analysts said the results indicated a lack of GOP voter enthusiasm in the state, with Sen. Sherrod Brown (D) leading his Republican opponent by 18 points in the same poll.

“The poll confirms our June findings that midterm voters are in a markedly different mood than they were when Ohio went for Trump in the 2016 presidential election,” said poll director David Paleologos.

“We could see low turnout among conservatives who see the GOP nominee for U.S. Senate, perhaps the most consequential race, trailing by such a wide margin,” he added.

The top issues in the governor’s race include the state’s economy and health care coverage, while education and the ongoing opioid crisis were mentioned as secondary issues.

Cordray, previously head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) under the Obama administration, will face DeWine, Ohio’s Attorney General, in November two years after Trump won the state by 8 points over Hillary Clinton (D).

Suffolk University’s poll surveyed 500 likely Ohio voters between Oct. 4 to 8, and carries a margin of error of 4.4 percentage points.