One of the most watched U.S. Senate races in the country is here in Ohio. But maybe not any more, with a new poll showing incumbent Republican Rob Portman with a commanding lead over Democratic former Gov. Ted Strickland.
The latest Quinnipiac swing state poll shows Portman leading Strickland 55% to 38% among likely Ohio voters. That 17-point gap has grown from last month, when Quinnipiac showed Portman leading by 11 points.
Nearly all Republicans say they prefer Portman, and while 8 in 10 Democrats back Strickland, 15 percent say they're not supporting their party's nominee. Portman leads with men and women, and he leads with independents by nearly 20 points.
Poll Director Peter Brown says it would take a collapse of historic proportions for Portman to lose to Strickland.
Portman has out-raised Strickland, and groups that support Portman have outspent Strickland four to one in advertising.
