Gov. Strickland continues to outpace his GOP opponent, poll shows

COLUMBUS — Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland continues to outpace his Republican challenger, John Kasich, in his race for re-election, according to a new poll released today.

Respondents in the latest Ohio Poll, conducted by the University of Cincinnati's Institute for Policy Research, preferred Strickland to Kasich, 49 percent-44 percent.

And 55 percent said they approve of the way Strickland is handling the governor's office, about seven percentage points higher than the last Ohio Poll, conducted in October.

The Institute for Policy Research regularly gauges Ohioans’ opinions on candidates and issues. It questioned 668 likely voters earlier this month as part of a random survey conducted over landline and cellular phones.