OH-Gov: PPP Has Ed FitzGerald (D) Now Tied With John Kasich (R)

Some good news today out of Ohio:

http://www.bizjournals.com/...

A new poll has the governor's race a dead heat. The survey by Public Policy Polling and released by the Ohio Democratic Party shows support for Gov. John Kasich and likely Democratic challenger Ed FitzGerald both at 44 percent among Ohio voters. Not surprisingly, FitzGerald did better among younger voters. The poll also showed Democrat Nina Turner had a 45-44 edge over incumbent Secretary of State Jon Husted. - Columbus Business Journal, 4/17/14

Here's some more info:

http://www.wchstv.com/...

Kasich was elected in 2010, narrowly defeating incumbent Democrat Ted Strickland in a year that saw Republican gains nationwide.

His approval rating dropped significantly after signing a bill in March 2011 limiting collective bargain for public employees. The bill was repealed by voters in a referendum later that year. Kasich’s approval rating has seen an improvement since the repeal.

In the secretary of state race, Democratic challenger and state Sen, Nina Turner narrowly leads incumbent Republican Jon Husted, 45 to 44 percent, with 12 percent undecided.

The survey of 1,050 Ohio voters was conducted from April 14-15 and released on Wednesday.

PPP polls for Democratic campaigns and organizations on a private basis. It was ranked the most accurate pollster of 2012 in a Fordham study of surveys for that year’s elections. - WCHS ABC 8, 4/16/14

Here's some more details:

http://www.examiner.com/...

Of those polled, of concern to Gov. Kasich is that 53 percent were women versus 47 for men. The Democratic, Republican, Independent breakdown was 39, 37 and 24, respectively. In age ranges, the highest percentage group was 46-65 at 42 percent, older than 65 at 25 percent, 30-45 at 30-45 and 18-29 at nine percent. Whites were 82 percent of responders with African-Americans at 12 and other at six percent.

Among women, 45-43 percent went for FitzGerald compared to 46-44 among men. African-Americans, by a lopsided margin of 74-11, like FitzGerald over Kasich, while 51-39 of whites went the other way. For 18-45 years olds, FitzGerald well—47 percent to 29 and 39 percent. Kasich shows well with 46-65 year olds—47 and 51 compared to 45 and 39 for FitzGerald.

PPP also took the electoral pulse of the race for Secretary of State between incumbent Secretary of State Jon Husted and his Democratic challenger, State Senator Nina Turner. Turner, who is engaged in her first statewide race, leads Mr. Husted, a seasoned politician who has served as Speaker of the Ohio House and a state senator before winning his current seat in 2010, is likewise engaged in a toss-up election. She leads the incumbent 45-44 percent.

In the last PPP survey, also paid for by ODP, Kasich held a lead of five points, a narrowing of the firms previous attempt late last year. Gov. Kasich launched his first campaign TV ad yesterday, focusing on his biography as a hardworking, family values person from a steel town where his father carried the U.S. mail.

Ed FitzGerald, a former FBI agent, assistant county prosecutor and Mayor of Lakewood, Ohio, before being elected Cuyahoga County's first Executive, trails Kasich in campaign cash on hand and will need to do all he can to not left behind by Gov. Kasich, who will have all the help he wants from outside groups like the Republican Governors Association, and from billionaires like Sheldon Adelson, the casino magnet who Kasich and other 2016 Republican hopefuls traveled to Las Vegas recently to visit. Adelson pumped $94 million in to the 2012 presidential campaign, backing Mitt Romney who lost Ohio by about 166,00 votes and the White House. - Examiner, 4/16/14

You can read al the details here:

http://www.scribd.com/...

The Ohio Democratic Party issued this statement:

http://businessjournaldaily.com/...

In a statement about the results, the Ohio Democratic Party said it is “no coincidence” that the Kasich campaign was going on the air with advertising, having seen the same results the Democrats were seeing.

“Governor Kasich has had weeks of horrible media attention on everything from his attacks on voting rights, his discriminatory views on marriage equality, and his tax shift onto the middle class,” the party said in a news release. “This race is a dead heat, and Ohioans know that John Kasich doesn’t share our values, and his policies aren’t working for Ohio families.” - Business Journal, 4/17/14

I'll be you any money FitzGerald's challenge to the GOP's voter restriction laws and his threat to get the Justice Department involved helped give FitzGerald a much need spike in approval and name recognition.  It's look like we have a real shot here.  If you want to donate and get involved with FitzGerald's campaign, you can do so here:
http://www.edfitzgeraldforohio.com/