OH: Strickland Up & Brown In Dead Heat

Democratic Congressman Ted Strickland keeps on expanding his lead over two likely Republican opponents in the latest Rasmussen Reports poll.

Strickland leads Republican frontrunner Ken Blackwell, 52% to 35%. In March he led Secretary of State Blackwell 50% to 40%. Strickland now leads Republican Attorney General Jim Petro 51% to 31%. Last month his lead was 47% to 34%. [..]

So far this year, our polling has shown no major hiccups for Strickland. In January, he was ahead of Blackwell and Petro by four and five points. Since then, Strickland has steadily gained ground since then against both potential competitors.

Ultra Conservative Secretary of State Ken Blackwell holds 46% to 34% over Jim Petro in Republican primary for Governor according to SurveyUSA poll. Ted Strickland has overall money advantage heading into the general election with two Republicans in a heated and expensive primary battle.

Democratic Congressman Sherrod Brown is locked up dead heat versus Republican Senator Mike DeWine in the latest Rasmussen Reports poll.

Ohio Senate race shows Republican Senator Mike DeWine leading Democratic Congressman Sherrod Brown 43% to 41%. Five percent (5%) say they would vote for someone else and 11% are not sure.

Given the poll's 4.5 percentage point margin of error, that's practically identical to what we saw in March, when DeWine led 45% to 42%.

Sherrod Brown hits on economic themes on the campaign trail.

U.S. Rep. Sherrod Brown unveiled a sprawling economic platform for his U.S. Senate bid yesterday, blending trade restrictions, small business support, prescription-drug costs, and college affordability, and vowing to make Ohio "the Silicon Valley for alternative energy development." [..]

His speech merged several familiar Brown campaign themes, including a call to revamp international trade pacts to protect American workers, a proclamation that manufacturing will "rebuild this state," and digs at pharmaceutical companies, Wall Street, cheap labor in China, and President Bush.

"For too long, we have been told that our manufacturing base is a lost cause," Mr. Brown said, adding a moment later: "We've been led to believe that our future is no longer in our hands. Well I don't buy that, and neither do Ohio families."

Sherrod Brown and Ted Strickland are echoing same economic talking points.

Several of Mr. Brown's lines echoed another Democrat running statewide: U.S. Rep. Ted Strickland (D., Lisbon), the party's front-runner for governor.

Mr. Brown said to expect more of that: "Congressman Strickland and I think a lot alike about this state." In a phone interview, Mr. Strickland agreed: "Our campaigns will complement each other," he said.

Unpopular Ohio Governor Bob Taft and President Bush will drag down the whole Republican ticket in Ohio without being on the ballot. Sherrod Brown, Ted Strickland and the other Democrats running for office in Ohio should be working together to insure big Democrat victory in 2006. Blackwell, DeWine can not run away from the Republican party and it’s failed polices and corruption.