Poll: Ohio voters like Kasich as presidential contender

By Marc Kovac | April 3, 2015 at 12:02a.m.

COLUMBUS

Gov. John Kasich was tops with Ohio voters among other potential Republican presidential contenders.

But he’s still not registering among GOP voters in two other swing states.

Those were the results of a new survey by the Connecticut-based Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, which regularly gauges Ohioans’ views on candidates and issues.

Among 404 registered Republican voters in the state, 20 percent picked Kasich from the GOP field. No other Republican candidate had double-digit support, though Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee each managed 9 percent.

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush was backed by 8 percent of respondents, down from 10 percent in Quinnipiac’s February poll.

The margin of error for the Ohio GOP poll was about 5 percentage points.

But Kasich received only 1 percent and 2 percent support in Florida and Pennsylvania, respectively. Bush topped the field in Florida with 24 percent, while Walker was tops in Pennsylvania with 14 percent.

“Gov. John Kasich’s decision about whether to join the presidential campaign, at least for now, is the big unknown in the Buckeye State,” Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the polling institute, said in a statement. “If he runs, he would be the early leader at home, although his appeal in other states is yet to be shown.”

Among 324 registered Ohio Democrats, more than half sided with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.