Incumbent Sen. Rob Portman (R.) leads Ted Strickland, his Democratic challenger, by 11 points in the latest poll of the Ohio Senate race.
According to a Quinnipiac University poll released Friday, Portman is favored by 51 percent of likely voters in Ohio, while Strickland is supported by 40 percent. Eight percent of voters remain undecided.
The poll is the latest sign that the race is trending in Portman’s favor. The survey was released the same day that Strickland’s campaign cancelled some of its television advertisement buys across the state, after Democratic groups began cancelling ad purchases meant to help Strickland win the race.
The latest poll represents a small improvement for Portman over the Quinnipiac swing-state poll released in August, which found the incumbent leading his challenger by 9 points. According to an average of Ohio Senate race polls provided by Real Clear Politics, Portman maintains a 10.3-point lead over Strickland.
"Even Democrats are abandoning Ted Strickland as momentum grows behind our campaign as we highlight the results Rob is delivering for Ohio families and as we’ve gained multiple union endorsements and contacted over 3.5 million voters through our unprecedented door-to-door and phone programs," Portman spokeswoman Michawn Rich said in a statement Friday.
"As Ted Strickland faces criticism about his campaign from his own party, more Ohio voters are realizing they can’t afford a return to Ted Strickland’s Ohio when the state lost more than 350,000 jobs and ranked 48th in job creation," Rich said.
The Hill reported Friday that Strickland’s campaign was cancelling advertisements in the Cincinnati, Dayton, Toledo, and Youngstown markets over the coming two weeks. A spokesman for Strickland’s campaign said that the campaign was shifting its resources into other media markets.
The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and Senate Majority PAC have both canceled millions in advertisement buys meant to help Strickland’s bid in recent weeks.