Portman Holds Modest Lead Over Two Democrats in Ohio Senate Race
Bruce Drake
The race to fill the U.S. Senate seat being vacated in Ohio by the GOP's George Voinovich has not moved much since last month, with former Republican Rep. Rob Portman holding modest leads over the two hopefuls for the Democratic nod, Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner and Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher, according to a Rasmussen Reports poll conducted Feb. 5-6.
Portman, who also served in the cabinet of former President George W. Bush, leads Fisher, 43 percent to 39 percent, with 5 percent preferring someone else and 13 percent undecided. He leads Brunner by 42 percent to 38 percent, with 5 percent preferring someone else and 15 percent undecided. The margin of error is 4.5 points.
Last month, Portman led Brunner by 43 percent to 40 percent and Fisher by 44 percent to 37 percent.
In both match-ups, Portman holds double-digit leads among men, and the Democrats have a similar advantage among women, although by a smaller margin. Among voters aligned with neither party, Portman has an 18-point advantage over both of the Democrats.