GOP chief presents results of early poll to 2 party candidates

The GOP chairman is hoping that one of the hopefuls will pull out of the race.
COLUMBUS (AP) -- Ohio's Republican Party chairman, still trying to avoid a contested primary in the governor's race, on Saturday shared the results of a long-awaited poll with the remaining candidates, Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell and Attorney General Jim Petro.
Party Chairman Bob Bennett wants to persuade one of the candidates to drop out to avoid a primary battle between two of Ohio's best known and high-ranking Republican officeholders.
Bennett held a private briefing with Blackwell and Petro on Saturday morning, speaking with Blackwell while Petro listened in by car phone.
Bennett "wanted it to be fair to both candidates," said Republican Party spokesman John McClelland.
"Beyond that, there was no suggestion on his part, other than to say, 'Here are the numbers; here's what we have; you make the decision that's best for you and your campaign,'" McClelland said.
The poll showed Blackwell leading 40 percentage points to 30 over Petro in the primary but also noted that 29 percent of respondents were undecided.
Democratic candidate
However, the poll's general election results said Petro had a better chance of beating U.S. Rep. Ted Strickland, according to Petro's campaign.
Strickland, from Lisbon in Columbiana County, has been unofficially endorsed by most of the state's Democratic Party establishment.
The poll, by McLaughlin & amp; Associates, was conducted over three days last week surveying 400 likely Republican primary voters by phone. It had a margin of sampling error of 4.9 percentage points.
Bennett briefed the party central committee and county GOP chairmen on the results at a meeting in Columbus.
It's early to predict the primary outcome based on such results, especially with 29 percent of respondents being undecided, said Herb Weisberg, an Ohio State University political scientist.
"The problem is that many people haven't focused on the race yet and wouldn't have an opinion on the candidates," said Weisberg, a polling expert. "As the campaign heats up, that 29 percent could swing one way or the other."
Another problem interpreting the results is the customary low turnout in primaries, he said. In the past two presidential primaries in Ohio, for example, only about a third of registered voters cast ballots.
"If one candidate or the other is better at mobilizing their people, that will really give them an advantage," Weisberg said.
Both still running
Based on the reaction of both campaigns after the results were released, neither candidate had immediate plans to leave the race.
"It's time to close ranks behind the leader and start focusing our attention on beating the Democrats," Lara Mastin, chairman of Blackwell's campaign, said in a statement.
Petro's campaign played up poll results showing that Petro has a better shot at beating Strickland in the general election. Strickland still faces a primary challenge from state Sen. Eric Fingerhut.
Because Blackwell doesn't match up well, he could easily drag the entire Republican ticket to defeat, Bob Paduchik, chairman of Petro's campaign, said in a statement.
Petro, Blackwell and Auditor Betty Montgomery -- who dropped out of the race Tuesday -- agreed on the pollster.