By a small 48 - 46 percent margin, voters disapprove of the way Obama is handling the economy, the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University poll finds. This is down from a 57 - 36 percent approval May 6. A total of 66 percent of Ohio voters are "somewhat dissatisfied" or "very dissatisfied" with the way things are going in the state, while 33 percent are "very satisfied" or "somewhat satisfied," numbers that haven't changed since Obama was elected.
In the race for Ohio's U.S. Senate seat being vacated by retiring George Voinovich in 2010, Lee Fisher and Jennifer Brunner remain neck-and-neck for the Democratic nomination and both would defeat any of the GOP candidates if the election were today.
"The economy in Ohio is as bad as anywhere in America. These numbers indicate that for the first time voters have decided that President Barack Obama bears some responsibility for their problems," said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.
"Until now voters have given President Obama high ratings on the economy, blaming former President George W. Bush for their problems. They might be taking out their frustration on President Obama, possibly deciding that the change he promised has not come as quickly as they expected."
"Ohio historically has been the prototypical swing state. One of the reasons Barack Obama won the presidency by such a wide margin is that he carried Ohio with 52 percent of the vote and captured the lion's share of independent votes," Brown added.
"Now, by a 48 - 46 percent margin, Ohio independent voters give the President a failing grade on the economy. These numbers indicate that he may be losing, at least for now, some of those who voted for him in November and should be an indication to the White House that his honeymoon with the voters may be ending."
In the Senate race, Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher holds a 24 - 21 percent lead over Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner in the race for the Democratic nomination, with 51 percent undecided.
Former U.S. Rep. Rob Portman holds a 33 - 10 percent lead over car dealer Tom Ganley on the Republican side, with 55 percent undecided.
In general election trial heats, Brunner would defeat Ganley 35 - 31 percent and get 35 percent to Portman's 34 percent. Fisher leads Ganley 36 - 30 percent and Portman 37 - 33 percent.
From June 26 - July 1, Quinnipiac University surveyed 1,259 Ohio voters, with a margin of error of +/- 2.8 percentage points. The survey includes 483 Democrats with a margin of error of +/- 4.5 percentage points and 445 Republicans with a margin of error of +/-4.7 percentage points.
The Quinnipiac University Poll, directed by Douglas Schwartz, Ph.D., conducts public opinion surveys in Florida, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Ohio and the nation as a public service and for research. For more data and RSS feed - http://www.quinnipiac.edu/polling.xml, or (203) 582-5201.
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