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(WOIO) - Republican John Kasich now holds an eight-point lead over Democratic incumbent Ted Strickland in Ohio's gubernatorial race.
The latest Rasmussen Reports statewide telephone survey of Likely Voters shows Kasich picking up 50% of the vote, while Strickland draws support from 42% with leaners are included Three percent (3%) prefer some other candidate, and four percent (4%) are undecided.
Two weeks ago, Kasich led Strickland 50% to 43% when leaners were included in the totals. Leaners are those who initially indicate no preference for either of the candidates but answer a follow-up question and say they are leaning towards a particular candidate. Rasmussen Reports now considers results with leaners the primary indicator of the race.
Eight-two percent (82%) of Kasich's supporters are already certain of how they will vote in November, as are 83% of Strickland's backers.
The survey of 500 Likely Voters in Ohio was conducted on September 27, 2010 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 4.5 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC.
When leaners are excluded from the totals, Kasich leads 49% to 41%. In the previous survey, he led 48% to 40% without leaners.
In surveys since December, Kasich has earned 45% to 50% support, while Strickland has captured 38% to 45% of the vote.
Kasich, an investment banker and former congressman, now picks up 92% of the Republican vote in the state. Eighty percent (80%) of Ohio Democrats support Strickland. Among voters not affiliated with either major party, the GOP candidate leads by more than 30 points.
Forty-one percent (41%) of all voters in the state now approve of the job Strickland is doing as governor, while 58% disapprove. These findings have remained basically unchanged for several months.
Eighteen percent (18%) of Ohio voters consider themselves to be part of the Tea Party movement, while 68% don't. This is slightly higher participation than is found nationally. But nearly half the state's voters (49%) say the movement is good for the country. Thirty-three percent (33%) see it as bad for the nation.
Ninety-six percent (96%) of Tea Party voters support Kasich, along with 36% of non-Tea Party voters. Fifty-six percent (56%) of voters who do not align themselves with the Tea Party back Strickland.
Kasich is viewed unfavorably by 51% of all voters in the state and unfavorably by 37%. Those numbers include 32% with a Very Favorable opinion of the GOP candidate and 24% with a Very Unfavorable one.
Strickland's reviews are 46% favorable and 52% unfavorable, including 27% Very Favorable and 33% Very Unfavorable.
Most Ohio voters agree with voters nationally that the country's current economic problems are due more to the recession that began under President Bush than to the policies of President Obama. But 56% disagree with Obama's recent statement that the current policies of the federal government have put the country on the right course.
Still, voters in the state are evenly divided when asked which political party they trust more when it comes to the issue of taxes. Nationally, voters trust the GOP more on this issue.
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