Today, a Rasmussen poll shows that Josh Mandel trails incumbent Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown by only 4 points, 46-42, among likely voters. The polls margin of error is 4.5 percent.
A month ago two polls (both of registered voters) had Brown doing considerably better. At that time, PPP put Brown up 46-39. Quinnipiac, less plausibly, had the race at 50-36 in favor of Brown.
Unlike other incumbent Democratic Senators running in swing states, Brown shows no centrist tendencies. This year, his ACU rating is zero. Lifetime, it is 7. These ratings practically mirror those of Sens. Schumer and Durbin, both of whom represent significantly more left-leaning constituents. By contrast, swing state Senators Nelson (Florida) and McCaskill (Missouri) have lifetime ACU ratings of 33 percent and 15 percent, respectively.
Frankly, I respect the fact that Brown is not squishy. But I’d also prefer him in the role of principled former Senator.
Meanwhile, Mandel is one of our favorite rising conservative stars. It’s great to see that he has a shot at defeating Brown and a good shot, I believe, if things break in favor of the Republicans — a distinct possibility given the state of the economy.
If you would like to contribute to the Mandel campaign, you can do so here.
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