President Trump is likely to have a big impact on Ohio’s U.S. Senate race this fall – for better and worse. WKSU’s M.L. Schultze has more on some of the indicators in the latest Quinnipiac poll.
Five months before the election, the poll shows incumbent Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown well ahead of his Republican challenger, Congressman Jim Renacci (51-34 percent).
And it shows the top issues in the Senate race are:
- Healthcare (28),
- The economy (25)
- Immigration (15)
- Guns (14)
But nearly 60 percent of respondents said President Trump will be a factor in their Senate vote: 28 percent to show they support the president and 30 percent to show their opposition.
And very few people haven’t made up their mind when it comes to the president. On a question rating Trump’s performance, 43 percent said they approve, 54 percent said no.
The evaluations of Trump break largely along the lines of age, race and sex. White men are the only demographic that approves of his performance. Young voters age 18-34 most strongly condemn how Trump is handling the job.
When the same question was asked of how Sen. Brown is handling his job, 55 percent approved, 29 percent disapproved. Fewer than 1-5 voters say they just don't know enough about him to make up their minds. Renacci has a lot bigger group of question marks: fully half say they haven't heard enough about him.
