Mike DeWine, Ohio’s attorney general and Republican gubernatorial candidate, has a narrow 3-point advantage over Democratic candidate Richard Cordray, according to a Baldwin Wallace University poll released Monday.
DeWine gets the support of about 42 percent of likely voters, while about 39 percent support Cordray, the former director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The difference falls within the poll’s margin of error.
{mosads}DeWine led by five points in the same poll last month.
DeWine and Cordray are running to replace the term-limited Gov. John Kasich (R), who ran for president in 2016.
The two candidates both enjoy net-positive favorability ratings, with about 41 percent of likely Ohio voters finding DeWine favorable and 38 percent finding him unfavorable. Roughly 34 percent of Ohio likely voters find Cordray favorable and 24 percent find him unfavorable.
Despite having a larger margin in his favorability rating, Cordray suffers from low name recognition. Over 42 percent of likely Ohio voters say they have not heard enough about him to decide if they find him favorable or not. Only 21 percent say the same of DeWine.
However, Cordray may be buoyed by President Trump’s underwater approval rating in the state. About 45 percent of likely voters say they approve of the job Trump is doing, while 50 percent say they disapprove.
Trump tweeted his endorsement of DeWine in May, saying:
The gubernatorial race is one of the closest in the country, with The Cook Political Report rating it as a “toss up.” An averaging of polls compiled by Real Clear Politics has Cordray up three points.
The Baldwin Wallace University poll also has incumbent Sen. Sherrod Brown (D) with a nearly 17-point lead over Rep. Jim Renacci (R) in his bid for a third term in the Senate.
Baldwin Wallace University surveyed 1,017 likely Ohio voters from Sept. 28-Oct. 8. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percent.