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By Jon Cassidy | Ohio Watchdog
Three recent polls published show the U.S. Senate race tightening slightly, with incumbent Sherrod Brown still in the lead.
U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown’s lead over Republican challenger Josh Mandel is likely in the upper single digits, given the margins of error of various polls.
A new Quinnipiac University/CBS News/New York Times poll of likely voters published Wednesday shows Brown leading Republican Josh Mandel, 51-39. The Quinnipiac poll has consistently found larger leads for Brown than other polls; in June, it had Brown 16 points ahead.
A poll by Magellan Strategies for Opportunity Ohio released July 26 showed Brown leading Mandel, 45-38, among likely voters.
A Rasmussen poll released July 20 showed Mandel trailing Brown by only four points, 46-42, among likely voters.
The Rasmussen poll has consistently put Brown’s lead in the low single digits. A New York Times analysis found that Rasmussen’s polls overestimated Republican support in 2010, although its performance in the previous three cycles was much better.
Public Policy Polling found Brown leading 46-39 in late June, a slight drop.
When the race started, Brown’s lead was in the high double digits, owing in part to the name recognition won over a 38-year political career.
Quinnipiac polled 1,193 likely voters from July 24-30; its margin of error is 2.8 percent. Its earlier poll was of 1,237 people from June 19-25, with a margin of error of 2.8 percent.
The Magellan Strategies poll autodialled 597 people on July 23-24, with a margin of error of 4.01 percent at a confidence level of 95 percent.
The Rasmussen poll surveyed 500 likely voters on July 18, with a margin of error of 4.5 percent and a confidence level of 95 percent.
Public Policy Polling autodialled 673 people from June 21-24, producing a margin of error of 3.8 percent.
