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Valley poll respondents explain their choices
YOUNGSTOWN
Vicky D’Amato and Janet Heller, both retired, aren’t happy with their choices for governor and U.S. Senate, but have made their decisions.
“I don’t have much of an option here,” said D’Amato, 69, of Youngstown, who’s supporting the Republicans, John Kasich for governor and Rob Portman for Senate. “You think some of these people are on your side, and they’re not. I hope in four years I won’t say, ‘I wish I hadn’t voted for him.’”
Heller, 76, of Signal in Columbiana County, said she’s voting for the Democrats, Ted Strickland for re-election as governor and Lee Fisher for Senate.
Her main reason is her father raised her as a lifelong Democrat and despite some misgivings, she always votes for the party’s candidates.
“I don’t like the way he talks; I don’t like what he says,” Heller said of Kasich. “He’s promising the world, and we know he won’t deliver. I don’t trust him. I wouldn’t vote for him because I know he’s lying to us, but Strickland is too.”
D’Amato and Heller are among the 889 likely voters interviewed by telephone between Oct. 14 and last Monday for the The Vindicator/Ohio Newspaper Poll conducted by the Institute for Policy Research at the University of Cincinnati.
The poll shows Kasich ahead of Strickland 49 percent to 47 percent, a statistical dead-heat, with the incumbent Democrat beating the Republican 52 percent to 44 percent in Northeast Ohio.
An Ohio Newspaper Poll conducted a month ago had Kasich leading by 4 percent statewide and the two candidates even at 47 percent in Northeast Ohio.
The poll, released today, also has Portman opening a bigger lead for the Senate seat over Fisher, 58 percent to 39 percent. The poll shows Northeast Ohio is the only region of the state where Fisher, who is from Cuyahoga County, is competitive, trailing Portman 50 percent to 49 percent.
Last month’s poll had Portman ahead by 15 percentage points statewide, and leading in Northeast Ohio 49 percent to 47 percent.
The poll today has a 3.3 percent margin of error.
The poll was commissioned by the Ohio News Organization, a consortium of the state’s eight largest daily newspapers, including The Vindicator.
The results are similar to most recent polls taken on these two races.
D’Amato said she’s a “little reluctant” to support Kasich. But “I’m going to give this guy a chance” primarily because he is pro-life, she said.
“I really don’t know much about” Kasich, she said. “He worked on Wall Street, a negative with some people.”
D’Amato said she’s not that enthusiastic about Portman either.
“We have been so disappointed the last couple of decades with candidates who run one way and when they get in, they go another way,” she said. “With the Tea Party movement, some of these people in Washington are waking up and listening to the people.”
Heller said party loyalty is why she’s supporting Strickland and Fisher.
The two Democrats don’t care much about senior citizens, she said, but they’re better than the Republicans.
“They’re all going to raise taxes,” Heller said.
Mahoning County Republican Chairman Mark Munroe said he’s not surprised by the results.
“What’s encouraging is John Kasich continues to lead in most polls,” he said. “Ted Strickland is just not exciting his base. Democrats seem to be dispirited and [there’s] not a lot of energy on their side. John Kasich brings a lot of energy to the Republican base.”
Munroe called the Senate race “a runaway,” adding, “I think that one is in the bag” for Portman.
Mahoning County Democratic Party Chairman David Betras said, “I’m not buying the enthusiasm gap” between Democratic and Republican voters in Ohio.
“We have nine days to make our closing argument to the voters” for Democratic candidates, said Betras, an attorney. “We’ll continue to see the governor’s numbers go up. I’m very confident with what we are doing: knocking on doors, making calls and doing everything we can to get people to vote for” Democrats.
Despite Portman’s lead over Fisher, Betras said, “I’m not willing to concede any race. The get-out-the-vote effort will work to Lee’s advantage as much as anyone else’s.”