POLITICO / AARP Poll: Brown leads Renacci in Ohio Senate race

Senator Sherrod Brown has a significant lead over his Republican opponent, Rep. Jim Renacci, according to a new POLITICO / AARP poll in Ohio that also shows a close-to-elbow contest for the governor.

In the Senate, the poll shows that Brown leads Renacci, 47% to 31%, with 22% undecided.

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Brown, the holder of two terms, wins among the Democrats, 85% to 2%. Among the Republicans, Renacci leads, from 71% to 13%.

Brown also holds a nearly two percent lead in self-employment – 38 percent, out of Renacci's 20 percent – even though 42 percent of independents are undecided.

Among voters aged 50 and over, Brown holds a similar lead on Renacci, 49% to 33%, with 18% undecided.

The poll is part of POLITICO / AARP's "The Deciders" series. The full survey will be published next week.

Renacci, at his fourth term as a member of the House of Representatives, initially launched a campaign for the governor last year. But he dropped the offer when state treasurer Josh Mandel suspended his campaign in the Senate to solve a family health problem; Renacci abandoned a troubled governor's campaign to become the GOP's leading candidate in the Senate.

In the governor's race, Republican state attorney General Mike DeWine has a negligible 1 point lead over Democrat Richard Cordray, 39% to 38%, with 23% undecided.

Among the 50 years and over, DeWine, a former senator whom Brown ousted in 2006, leads Cordray, 44% to 38%, with 19% undecided.

The survey was conducted from September 2 to 11 by Morning Consult, which polled 1,592 registered voters in Ohio, including 841 voters aged 50 and over. The margin of error for the overall sample is plus or minus 2 percentage points, while the results of 50 years and over include a sampling error margin of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

More details on the survey and its methodology can be found in these two documents – Toplines: https://politi.co/2x4xILj | Crossed tables: https://politi.co/2NypIfW