Poll: Kasich leading challengers in governor race

April 19, 2013 at 12:00a.m.

COLUMBUS

Gov. John Kasich continues to outpace potential Democratic challengers among Ohio voters, according to a poll released Thursday by the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.

Kasich held a 46 percent-37 percent lead over Cuyahoga County Executive Ed FitzGerald, who formed a committee to explore a 2014 run for governor .

Kasich also outpaced former state Attorney General and current U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Richard Cordray, 45 percent-38 percent.

Respondents overwhelmingly said they didn’t know enough about either Democrat to form an opinion.

The results have a margin of error of about 3 percentage points.

“In a state where self-described Democrats outnumber Republicans 35-27 percent, Kasich seems to be in reasonably good shape as he looks ahead to the 2014 gubernatorial election,” Peter Brown, assistant director of the polling institute, said in a released statement. “The fact that he leads his two potential Democratic opponents by 20 and 17 points, respectively, among the key independent voting bloc is a good indication that he starts the campaign with the voting public seeing him positively.”

More than half of those questioned also said Kasich is doing a good job as governor, and 46 percent gave him positive favorability ratings.