Clinton maintains lead over Trump in Ohio

Published 10:26 am Tuesday, August 23, 2016

Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton maintainsa her lead over her Republican rival in Ohio in the latest polling for the state.

A CBS/YouGov poll showed the former U.S. secretary of state leading real estate tycoon and reality TV star Donald Trump, 46 to 40 percent.

Libertarian Party nominee Gary Johnson came in at 6 percent and Green Party candidate Jill Stein held 2 percent of voters.

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The poll found that most Ohioans have solidified in their choice and made up their minds.

Of those casting ballots for Trump or Clinton, 71 percent said their support for their candidate was “very strong” and that they “had decided.” Those who described their support as “strong” and said they “probably would not change” came in at 21 percent. Only 6 percent said their support was “somewhat strong” and that their choice “might change,” while 2 percent said their support was “not too strong” and will “probably change at some point.”

While the presidential race in the Buckeye State had been deadlocked for months, Clinton has pulled ahead following the national conventions of both parties, while Trump’s numbers have dropped. The survey echoes polling conducted at the national level showing Clinton leading, as well as a poll in Ohio, conducted earlier this month by NBC News and the Wall Street Journal, which showed her opening up a 5-point lead over Trump.

In the U.S. Senate race, the CBS/YouGov survey found Republican incumbent Rob Portman leading former Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland, 46 to 39 percent.

While Strickland’s campaign has sought to tie Portman to Trump and focus on the senator’s endorsement of his party’s presidential nominee, the survey found the effort has not been very successful.

When asked how they viewed Portman, 76 percent said they saw him as a different kind of Republican than Trump, while 24 percent said he was the same.

The survey was comprised of 1,000 registered voters, 997 of whom were ranked as likely voters, and was conducted from Aug. 17-19, with a margin of error of +/- 3.9 percent.